Catholic Ideals in Social Life

This work contains: The Church and Personal Liberty The Christian State The Education of Woman Marriage The Value of Work The Priest and Social Reform. The Responsibility of Wealth The Idea of Responsibility Religious Aspects of Social Work The Working-man's Apostolate: The Catholic Working-man a Misstoner Conditions essential to the Workingman's Apostolate Duties of the Catholic Working-man at the Present Time S, Francis and You: The Franciscan Vocation The Three Radical Evils in Society at the Present Day The Need of Personal Service The Church and Personal Liberty begins: T HE old things have gone and the new are before us. At every moment in our existence, once we have passed the initial stage, is this saying true. Whilst we live we can never rest in what we have achieved, but every step gained is but an indication of further progress. "To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often"; and that is true of all life, intellectual, social and political. In our time the change has been of so radical a character as to Justify us in regarding the period as one of the most momentous in the history of Christian civilization. For several centuries Christendom has been undergoing a process of disintegration. The system built up by patient and heroic toil during the long medireval period has slowly and violently been shivered and broken up. Today but little of it remains; but out of the destruction has sprung a new order of things. We can see now more distinctly than those who were engulfed in the maze of the transition, whither we are tending; and out. of the contradictions and violences of their struggle we perceive a new system emerging, having a shapely form of its own and imperative in its demand upon our allegiance. Call it what you will-democracy or constitutionalism or any name you like-the thing itself is here and will remain, penneating our whole social life. And the more frankly we recognize the fact the better it will be for us. We cannot go back upon the past, but we can, if we are wise, take our part in shaping the future. And this is manifestly the duty of all Catholics according to the measure of their opportunity.