Explanation of Catholic Morals: A Concise, Reasoned, and Popular Exposition of Catholic MoralsStapleton, John H. (John Henry)
Religion
Explanation of Catholic Morals: A Concise, Reasoned, and Popular Exposition of Catholic Morals
Stapleton, John H. (John Henry)
Christian ethics -- Catholic authors
You say this is hard; and in so saying, you lend testimony to the truth
of the axiom that honesty is the best policy. There is no one but will
agree with you; but such a statement, true though it be, helps matters
very little. It is always hard to do right; blame Adam and Eve for it,
and think of something more practicable. But must I impoverish myself?
Not to the extent of depriving yourself of the necessaries of life. But
you must deprive yourself to the extent of settling your little
account, even if you suffer something thereby. But how shall I be able
to refund it all! You may never be able to refund it all; but you may
start in immediately and do the best you can; resolve to keep at it;
never revoke your purpose to cancel the debt. In case your lease of
life expires before full justice is done, the Almighty may take into
consideration your motives and opportunities. They do say that hell is
paved with good intentions; but these intentions are of the sort that
are satisfied with never coming to a state of realization.
But I shall lose my position, be disgraced, prosecuted and imprisoned.
This might happen if you were to write out a brief of your crime and
send the same, signed and sworn to, to your employer. But this is
superfluous. You might omit the details and signature, enclose the sum
and trust luck for the rest. Or you might consult your spiritual
adviser; he might have had some experience in this line of business.
The essential is not that you be found out, but that you refund.
It may happen that several are concerned in a theft. In this case, each
and every participant, in the measure of his guilt, is bound to make
restitution. Guilt is the object, restitution is the shadow; the
following is fatal. To order or advise the thing done; to influence
efficaciously its doing; to assist in the deed or to profit knowingly
thereby, to shield criminally the culprit, etc., this sort of
co-operation adds to the guilt of sin the burden of restitution. Silence
or inaction, when plain duty would call for words and deeds to prevent
crime, incriminates as well as active participation, and creates an
obligation to repair.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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