Untitled - Saints' Books

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50 Material for Sermons. [PART \.
St. John Chrysostom writes that the infidels, seeing
the vices of certain priests, would say that the God of
the Christians either was not the true God, or that he
was not a God of sanctity. For, said they, were he
holy, how could he tolerate the sins of his priests? 1
In
the instruction on the Mass we shall relate more at
length the fact of a heretic who had resolved to abjure
his errors, but being afterwards present at a Mass cele
brated in a scandalous manner, he determined to remain
in his heresy, and said that even the Pope did not be
lieve in the Mass, for if he did he would condemn such
priests to be burnt alive. St. Jerome said that among
those that had infected the Church and perverted the
people, he found in history the names only of priests. 2
And Peter de Blois says: On account of the negligence
of priests heresies came into existence." 1
In another
place he says: account of the sins of priests the
holy Church of God has been covered with opprobrium
4
and trodden in the dust." St. Bernard was of opinion
that greater injury
is done to the Church by scandalous
priests than even by the heretics; because we may guard
against heretics, but how can we guard against the priest
of whose ministry we must necessarily avail ourselves ?
says the holy Doctor, poison is now rav
See,"
aging the whole body of the Church ! The more it ex
tends the less it can be checked, and the greater the
imo multoties deficientes in fide, sacramenta despiciunt, vitia non
evitant, non horrent inferos, coelestia minima concupiscunt." T. I.
s. 19, a. 2, c. i.
1 "
Qualis est eorum Deus, qui talia agunt? numquid sustineret eos
talia facientes. nisi consentiret eorum operibus?" Horn. 10.
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2
Veteres scrutans historias, invenire non possum scidisse Ecclesiam,
et populos seduxisse, praeter eos qui Sacerdotes a Deo positi
fuerunt." In Oseam, c. 9.
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4 "
Propter negligentiam Sacerdotum, haereses pullularunt."
Propter peccata nostra (Sacerdotum), data est in conculcationem
et opprobrium Sancta Ecclesia Christi." Serin. 60.