the lateness of the hour and refuses to rise. But the one who asks for the loaves will not be put off. He keeps knocking; he repeats. "Yet," says Christ, "I say to you, although he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many (loaves) as he needeth. So I say to you, ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you." It is unnecessary to point out that there is here a clear recommendation of repetition and insistence. Turn from this to Chapter 18 of the same Gospel and you learn again in Christ's own words, the importance of repetition. In Psalm 135 the same words of praise occur twenty-seven times.

Protestant objection to the Catholic method of prayer arises from a misunderstanding of what prayer is. It is not a dry petition, perfunctorily made. It is a communing with God, a remaining in His presence, a pouring out of the heart to Him. Words are helpful, but not at all necessary. Their chief assistance lies in keeping the mind centered upon what it is doing.

When mother and child commune together,

neither is particular about words. Repetitions occur a thousand times over. Who cares? It is the heart's expression that is needed. This, and not elegant phrases, is what satisfies. So, when God's child speaks to its Heavenly Father, not words, but an uplifted heart is the thing prized.

Further, prayer is for the unlearned, for those of limited words, as well as for the educated. Without repetition most people would finish their story all too soon. It would be like a conversation between two people, neither of whom understands the other's language well. Oblige the sinner to vary his address to his Maker and the communing would be soon over. Even the educated might find their vocabulary soon exhausted. Hence, give learned and unlearned the same freedom that a child has on its mother's knee; let there be, if necessary or useful, unlimited repetition. Tell the story of need, of love, or of sorrow, again and again. Give educated and uneducated a form in which they may properly address their Creator, and they have all that is necessary. Here is prayer: not a dry petition which is over in an instant.

But a prolonged colloquy of the soul with its God.

I conclude, therefore, that when objectors come to understand what prayer is they will not be so troubled about Catholic repetitions. Still, since repetition is not necessary, not being commanded by any law, those who are opposed to it, may either take their prayerbook with them and turn its pages, or they may, if they can, memorize as many prayers as will occupy such time as one ought to spend before God. There is also a method of prayer-and it may be the best of all-in which words are dispensed with, and in which the soul pours forth itself in silence.

INDULGENCES

The question of indulgences is so beclouded by erroneous views, founded upon misunderstanding, often wilful, that our first duty is to clear away all misapprehensions. We can hardly understand what an indulgence is until we have learned what it is not.

There is no doctrine of Catholic teaching so distorted as that of indulgences. All manner of accusation has been made against it. It has been denounced in every mood and tense; misunderstood and misrepresented. In fact, one has to go back to pagan distortion of Christian teaching on the Eucharist to find anything so grotesque as the traditional Protestant attack upon indulgences. Luther, who himself never did understand the doctrine, sets the pace. Others follow. In fact, in none other of his teachings have his disciples been so faithful to their master. They have abandoned his idea of salvation by faith alone; they may refuse to believe, with him, that good works are useless, or that the pope is Anti-Christ. But, they do

accept his view that indulgences are a monstrous evil.

With greatest confidence, they assure us that indulgence pretends to forgive sin, or is an exemption from law, or, according to some, is license to commit sin. The Church guarantees to any man, who is willing to meet its price, permission to follow his inclination for a year, or two, or five, or indefinitely. So sure are they at least some of them-of this that they accept no declaration to the contrary, listen to no argument, or, if they should listen, regard it as part of the chicanery and deception with which they associate the name of the Catholic Church. The most telling answers given by us are, in their eyes, but the clever sophistry of which the Church is master. They really consider, or act as though they did consider, that we are so ashamed of this vicious teaching that, while we will not give it up, yet we aim at disguising it from the outside world. Of course, they are not all so minded. There are many honest ones among them, many willing to hear the truth, if it be properly presented. There is, however, great difficulty in making the best of them understand our meaning.