The Catholic Priest

Father Muller states: "The great roots of all the evils that press upon society, and make man unhappy, are THE IGNORANCE OF THE MIND, AND THE DEPRAVITY OF THE WILL. Hence he who wishes to civilize the world, and thus assist in executing the plans of God's providence, must remove these two great roots of evil by imparting to the mind infallibly the light of truth, and by laying down for the will authoritatively the unchangeable principles of morality. If the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has accomplished in society this twofold task, then has it rendered itself worthy of the praises of all men, and deserves to be called the greatest, the most astonishing, the most divine fact in the history of the world - then the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is truly the light of the world, and the salt of the earth." And he continues elsewhere: "IF it is the Popes, the bishops and priests who have drawn forth the civilized nations of the world from barbarism, it is also the Popes, the bishops and priests who keep them from falling back into their former degradation. It is for this reason that our Divine Saviour calls them also "the salt of the earth." Almighty God, Who incessantly, vatches over the welfare of His Church, has, in every century, provided chosen vessels holy Popes, bishops and priests - to defend and uphold her holy doctrine. Against Arianism, God raised up an Athanasius and a Hilary of Poirtiers; to oppose the Nestorians, God sent St. Cyril. He sent St. Augustine to beat down the Pelagians; St. John Damascene, to fight the Iconoclasts. When the world became Christian, and Catholics grew rich, and forgot the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Franciscan monks were called to teach the love of Christian poverty to voluptuous Catholics." Father Muller extols the powers of the Catholic priest: "Every priest can say, in some measure, with Jesus Christ who sent him: "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." The influence of this power is felt in heaven, in giving the elect; it is felt in hell, in snatching from it victims; it is felt in purgatory, ill consoling efficaciously the Church Suffering. The influence of the priest's power is felt all over the world in sustaining the Church Militant." Fathom this privilege of the priest: "GOD has given to the priest the keys of heaven. He has given the priest power over the faithful, over His mystic body; but He has given the priest even a more extraordinary power, -a power so stupendous, so unutterably great, that, had we not the grace of faith, we could never believe it. He has given to the priest power over His own Sacred Body, power over Himself!"