Socialism and the Pope

"SUCCESS IN MACHINE-GUN PRACTICE.

"Dear Rev. Father,- I hope you will find space in your little 'Messenger' to publish my grateful thanks to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady for the help they have given me in my work. I fired a machine-gun course a few weeks ago, and the first course was a complete failure. However, I never lost trust in the Sacred Heart, and kept on repeating the ejaculation, 'Sacred Heart of Jesus. I placed my trust in Thee,' and at the next trial I obtained a splendid score. An unworthy client of the Sacred Heart."

"SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL FAVOURS

"Our hurling team won two matches on promise of publication (Offaly).
"191 letters of thanksgiving."

I quote from the same Irish "Messenger of the Sacred Heart" (organ of the Apostleship of Prayer), vol. XLVI., No. 9, issued from 5 Gt. Denmark Street, Dublin, nearly ten years later- that is, in September, 1933. During a decade, the superstitious rubbish had continued to be published regularly in the name of the Catholic Church, and continues to be published as these lines are being penned.

On page 389 of this issue of the Messenger there is a eulogy of "Blessed Thomas More" by the Rev. M. Bodkin, S.J., as one of the "Patrons of Life." It is true that Sir Thomas More was martyred for a scruple of conscience and died bravely and usefully, as all martyrs must. But the Jesuit father does not point that More was secretly a Theist and not a Christian, and his wonderful Utopia, outlined a deistic semi-Socialist Commonwealth. Yet the same Sir Thomas More sat on tribunals that condemned Protestants to the stake, and was angered at Erasmus when that great satirist and thinker ridiculed the absurd doctrine of the Real Presence. Father Bodkin failed to portray a true picture of More as either persecutor or secret heretic, but did bring out an interesting point in connection with More's trial:-

"At his trial he easily confuted his embarrassed and shamefaced judges. 'The king has been made head of the church by parliament,' said Solicitor-General Rich, 'must you not obey the parliament?' 'And should Parliament make him God,' said More, 'must I obey then, too?'"

The same reply might be made to the papal claim to speak with the authority of God.

Let us pass to the "Letters of Thanksgiving."

"WONDERFUL ESCAPE IN ACCIDENT.

"IRELAND. DEAR REV. FATHER,- Please publish my grateful thanksgiving in the MESSENGER for the miraculous escape which four of us had in an awful motor accident some months ago, when a big touring car ran right into us. We escaped death- though the car was completely destroyed. We had the badge of the Sacred Heart in our car and it was this, I firmly believe, that saved us. We were badly injured, but thanks to the Sacred Heart, we are all well again....-A LOVER OF THE SACRED HEART."

"A THANKSGIVING- AND A WARNING.