Untitled - Saints' Books

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CHAP, viii.]- The Sin of Scandal. 145
Such a priest, then, is at the same time a parent and
a parricide; for, as St. Gregory says, he is the cause of
the death of his spiritual children.
see," says the
saint, blows daily are given to the people, and
whose fault is it but the fault of priests? We are the
cause of the death of the people, while we should be
their leaders to eternal life." Some one that has lost
the divine light may say I must give an account of my
own sins, but what have I to do with the sins of
others? He may say what he pleases, but I exhort him
to listen to the words of St. Jerome: you "If say I have
enough to do with my own conscience; what do I care
for people s talk? listen to the words of the Apostle:
Providing good things, not only in the sight of God, but also in
the sight of all men"* St. Bernard says that the scan
dalous priest kills others at
the same time that he mur
ders his own soul. 3 And in another place the saint
writes that there is no plague more noxious to the peo
ple than ignorance in a priest united with irregularity
of life. 4 In another place the same saint says that in
their sermons many priests are orthodox, but in their
conduct they are heretics; because by their bad ex
ample they inflict a deeper wound on religion than
heretics do by teaching false doctrines, because acts
have more force than words. 5
1
"Quibus quotidie percussionibus intereat populus videtis; cujus
hoc, nisi nostro praecipue, peccato agitur? Nos pereunti populo
auctores mortis existimus, qui esse debuimus duces ad vitam." In
Evang. horn. 17.
2 "Si dixeris: Et mihi sufficit conscientia mea; non euro quid loquantur
homines; audi Apostolum scribentem: Providentes bona,
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non tantum coram Deo, sed etiam coram omnibus hominibus.
Rom. xii. 17.
3 "Non parcunt suis, qui non parcunt sibi, perimentes pariter et
pereuntes." In Cant. s. 77.
Post indoctos prelates malosque, in Ecclesia, nulla pestis ad
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nocendum infirmis valentior invenitur." De Ord. vitte. c. I.
Multi sunt catholici prsedicando, qui hseretici sunt operando:
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