ON THE WAY BACK HOME

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Chapter One

ON THE WAY BACK HOME

Today there are hundreds of thousands of men and women who, though they claim to be Christians, belong to no particular church. They are living in practical indifference to God and are risking the salvation of their immortal souls. They will have much to answer for when they stand before the judgment seat of the Almighty. For if Christ founded a Church upon earth, he meant that men should enter it. If He commanded that all men receive Baptism, He meant that they should become members of His Church. If He commanded that all men listen and accept the teaching of His Apostles, He meant that all men should be docile members of that Church He would build upon Peter, the head of the Apostles. To such men this little book makes its appeal. The invitation which God gives you now, you must not put off too lightly. As the Scripture warns us: "The night cometh when no man can work." And again: "Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation." The invitation, which God gives you now, may not be given again.

As you read these pages however, it may seem to you that what is written here is Catholic propaganda. As a matter of fact, in the good sense of the word, it is. Propaganda in it's original sense means anything that is written or spoken or depicted in order to encourage and promote a movement, an idea, a faith. This is the honest and true type of propaganda the Church practices at the command of Christ Himself. Upon establishing His Church He gave the clear command to the Apostles: "Go forth and teach all nations."

In the sense in which the word propaganda is often used today, it signifies anything said, written or done in a partly false manner to influence people into accepting some belief or some idea not entirely true. The Catholic Church does not employ this false type of propaganda. It realized that no true conversion will ever be made by force, by deceit, or by trickery. It presents its claims honestly and openly to your reason and to your conscience. It invites your full investigation into its history, its dogmas and its practices. Only then when the truth prevails under the impulse of God's assistance can a true conversion be made.

If the Catholic Church fulfills the duty given it by Christ, she must never cease teaching the doctrines of Christ to all men. Catholic missionaries have in fact carried the message of Christ to all parts of the world. All parts of the world have responded to their appeal. On the other hand, there could be more effort made at times by the ordinary lay Catholic at home, and even by the priest at times, to restate Catholic doctrine to their Protestant brethren. Secure in his faith, content with his faith and not wishing to impose his faith upon the unwilling, the Catholic layman usually makes little effort to propagate it. The ordinary priest, moreover, is so immersed in the duties of taking care of his congregation that he has little energy and time left over for the work of reconverting those who have strayed. Christ Himself, however, gave us the injunction to work for the conversion of those not as yet in His fold. "Other sheep I have," He says, "that are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."

It is strange and yet it is true, that the Catholic Church, although two thousand years old, remains largely unknown to a large part of the modern world. A certain convert in Alaska once remarked: "What kind of a church do you people run? Is it a closed corporation? It seems as difficult to enter it as it is to pry open the door of a bank vault. I have been coming to your church now for the past six weeks, assisting at the services on Sundays, and I have not as yet met the priest in charge." In some cases then the approach to the Church is difficult. To make it less difficult, is the purpose for which this book is written.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Chapter 38

GOD CALLS YOU TO COME HOME

This little book is finished now. It was written to let you know that, whatever the cause that took you away from home, your home is still waiting to receive you back. In that home God has furnished two things of which you will always stand in need. The first is a sure guide for you, that on this earthly pilgrimage you may make your way back to God. The Church is the guide God established. For you and for all men, it is the voice of God, a voice that you can listen to in all security in matters that pertain to the salvation of your soul.

The second thing that He furnished for you in the Church is spiritual food, His own Body and Blood. He knew that you would need the comfort of His divine presence upon earth; He knew that you would need spiritual food whereby you might live unto God. The Voice of God and the living Body and Blood of your divine Savior are waiting for you to return home.

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Chapter 37

Hoover Family Moving Into La Puente, California, 1957

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

TO COME UNTO ME

This will be just a short chapter, but it will be a very important one. It is a serious mistake to neglect God, to be indifferent in the matter of one's own salvation. It is just as serious a mistake to neglect the care of those souls entrusted to our care. And yet there are so many parents today who are not only indifferent to their own salvation but who are also indifferent to the salvation of the souls of the children God has given them. They are very anxious that their children receive a good education in worldly affairs but show little anxiety if their children grow up ignorant of God. They are very careful that their children receive bodily food; they care not if their children starve spiritually. There will come a time when this nation will pay a terrible penalty for the godless generation it is rearing. But there will come a time when the parents responsible will pay a much heavier penalty because they did not do their duty. They committed this crime in the sight of the Almighty God; they have allowed the precious little souls God has given them, to grow up in ignorance of their Maker. Christ Himself has warned us: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Chapter 36

CHRIST THIRSTS
FOR THE SOULS OF MEN

When the Savior of the world hung upon the Cross of Calvary, one of the seven last words He uttered was: "I thirst." Bitter and painful, however, as His physical thirst was at that moment, He thirsted yet more for the souls of men. Realizing this, it is sad and distressing to see how many men and women there are who refuse to accept His invitation to unite themselves to Him in His faith, in order to take the proper care of the salvation of their immortal souls. How many there are who are in doubt as to whether or not they are in the true Church, and yet who do nothing about it. The wise man tries to solve his doubts in every other concern of life. Will not God hold him to account for not trying to solve his doubt in this the greatest concern of all! God gave him to use it above all in order to know God, that knowing Him, man might love Him and serve Him in this life and thus possess Him eternally in the next.

On a certain occasion I attended a convention of professional men. While there I met many men prominent in public life who told me frankly: "Father, I'm not of your faith. In fact, I haven't any religion to speak of. But I admire the Catholic Church, and I am willing to do anything I can to assist her in the great work that she does." It struck me then that the so-called Reformation had not only taken countless men and women away from the Catholic religion but from all religion.

But Christ as He hung on the Cross, did not want admiration. He wanted and thirsted after the souls of men. He did not want assistance from the outside. He wanted men to assist themselves, as much as He wanted them to assist Him. He wanted them to do penance and be baptized, to be members of the one Fold and under the one Shepherd He would establish in Peter. If a man has the intelligence to be a lawyer or a doctor or an engineer, the type of men by whom I was surrounded, the same man ought to have the intelligence and the courage to inquire into the claims of Christ. Such men are very wide awake and concerned and interested in the affairs of this life, in the success of their business or profession. But in the success of the greatest concern of all, they just don't care. And they try to hide their guilt in this matter, for they are guilty before God by saying that it really doesn't matter whether I practice any religion or not as long as I try to be honest. In reality however, no man can be honest, who refuses to give to God both publicly and privately worship that his position as creature of God demands. God will surely call such men to account when they stand before His judgment seat to give an account of stewardship. How will they excuse themselves then for having ignored Him, for having refused Him loyalty and service. "He who will confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father in heaven."

Chapter 35

WORLD-WIDE CHARITABLE WORKS
OF THE CHURCH

I say it is relatively easy to lead the life of a good Catholic for when we know the tremendous scope of the work that men and women in the Church carry on for God, are we reassured that we ourselves can, at least, lead our simple lives for God. In entering the Catholic Church, you will enter the Church that for nearly two thousand years has done the work of Christ with Christlike zeal. Americans, I know, will want concrete proof for such a statement. They want the facts, but so often it is so difficult to get the facts to them.

Not long ago a non-Catholic newspaper man was assigned to write an article entitled, 'Charity Over the World.' Having but the general impression that the Catholic Church was active in this work, he visited the headquarters of one of its missionary organizations to see what help he could obtain there in the way of facts and figures. For the most part only those activities were discussed which the Church considers her ordinary work. The reporter was astounded.

"What a magnificent organization your Church is!" he exclaimed. "Why it is all over the world, in every nook and cranny, doing good. I never had any idea of this before. Why don't you Catholics tell us these things?"

"Well," replied the official, in charge, "our own Catholics themselves hardly realize the world-wide magnitude of Catholic charity. They too would be astonded if they but knew the half of it. Since the Church is universal, it brings its works of mercy to every human being it can reach, regardless of race, color or creed." Statistics, no matter how complete, tell only a part of the story. Here are some of the figures compiled giving some account of the work done in the mission areas in one year alone.

In 31,410 hospitals and dispensaries over 35,000,000 medical treatments were administered.

In 1,846 orphanages 109,601 homeless children were cared for.

In 409 homes for the aged, 15,089 poor people were given shelter.

In 121 leper colonies 13,265 lepers were given a home and spiritual aid.

In 34,743 schools of all kinds 2,022,058 students were provided with a free education.

And who carries on this gigantic work of Christ? Catholic men and women do, priests and nuns and lay-brothers, in whose souls Christ's faith is so strong, that they are willing even in the first bloom of their youth, to dedicate their entire life to the service of Christ in the service of their fellowman. They are willing to sacrifice all, home and parents and friends, to go to the ends of the earth to carry Christ's message to all men, like the good Samaritan to bind up the wounds of humanity. If further proof were needed, this is the living proof that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ. This is proof that she received her mission from the Son of God, He who with His perpetual assistance has made it possible for her to be true to her mission all down the long stretch of twenty centuries even unto this hour.

Chapter 34

Photo: Under the Streetlight
Location: Montmartre (Sacred Heart Basilica) Paris, France
Date: 1963
Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt

I'M AFRAID I CANNOT BE
A GOOD CATHOLIC

Nor should you say as some do: "I'm afraid I will not be able to live up to the high standard of morality that shall be expected of me." If that were true, God would not be calling you. For he would not be calling you if it were impossible for you to live up to the morality of the Catholic Church with His grace. God expects the impossible from no one. There is no excuse that is a valid excuse for not answering His call.

Christ came as the divine physician. He came as a physician comes, not to those who were well and needed Him not, but to those who were sick. He came to save sinners. It is true that the Church like Christ condemns sin, but it is also true that the Church like Christ, loves the sinner. And in the Church you will find those plentiful helps that Christ left us, precisely for this, that we might be enabled to rise above our sinning. God, as we have said, does not expect the impossible from any one of us, but He does expect that each one of us, with the help of His grace, will make a sincere attempt to live up to His commandments and to follow His inspirations.

To embrace the Catholic faith means, of course, a certain amount of investigation and study. But life in the Church means much more than the mere cold study of its doctrines. It means the everyday practice of religion. It means prayer and union with God. It means the reception of the sacraments. It means worship and sacrifice. It means the fulness of the Christian life, such as you in your heart at this moment aspire for. Christ, your Savior, living again upon your altar, will also live again in your heart, so that you can then say with the great convert St. Paul: "I live now, not I, but Christ liveth in me." And all this is not only possible but relatively easy with the grace of God.

Chapter 33

Photo: Farewell Embrace
Location: New York City, 1943

PERHAPS I OUGHT TO WAIT A WHILE

But perhaps I ought to wait awhile. Perhaps my relatives and friends will give their consent later on to my entering the Church. Perhaps I'm not ready. Perhaps this and perhaps that. It is dangerous however, to put off God. It is risky to make God wait, once He has made plain His invitation. If God calls, it is folly to take his invitation lightly. It is dangerous to temporize with your Creator in the matter of the salvation of your immortal soul. The inspiration to embrace the Catholic faith is a grace that God now gives you. If you do not correspond with it now, it may not be given again. How many there are who lost the grace of conversion to God's Church, because they put off answering it until it was too late!