The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 417slavery. Surely Confession cannot be hard and easyat the same time.I have already refuted, I trust, the former charge.I shall now answer the second. I am not aware inwhat sense our people are less independent thanthose of any other class of the community. Theonly icstraint, as far as I know, imposed on Catholics by their priests, is the yoke of the Gospel, andto this restraint no Christian ought to object. Inmy estimation, no body of Christians enjoys moreApostolic freedom than those of the Catholic communion, because they are guided in their conduct,not by the ever-changing ipse dixit of any minister,but by the unchangeable teachings of the Churchof Jesus Christ.But if to love theirpriest,to reverence his sacredcharacter, to obey his voice as the voice of God ;to be willing to make anysacrifice for their spiritualthen our Cathfather ; if, I say, youcall this slavery, olic people are slaves, indeed ; and, what is more,they are content with their chains.Even our Manuals of Devotion have not escapedthe lash of wanton criticism. They have excitedthe pious horror of some modern Pharisees, becausethey contain a table of sins for the use of thosepreparing for Confession. The same flower whichfurnishes honey to the bee, supplies poison to thewasp and, in like manner, the same book which;gives only the honey of consolation to the devoutreader, has nothing but moral poison for those thatsearch its pages for nothing else.if