Theology for Beginners

By Confirmation, the layman is miles of the Church Militant. The Churchon earth is at war, an army therefore. Its officers are the clergy, we are therank and file, the simple soldiery—what in the British Army would becalled privates, in the American Army enlisted men or G.I.’s. We mustconsider our part in the warfare.To begin with we must understand what the warfare is. It is being foughtnot simply to enlarge the Church, but to bring souls into union with Christ.It is that strangest of wars which is fought for the enemy, not against him.Even the term enemy must not be allowed to mislead.Every unbeliever is, as every Catholic is, a being with an immortal spirit,made in the image of God, for whom Christ died. However violently hostileto the Church or to Christ he may be, our aim is to convert him, not simplyto defeat him, still less to destroy him. We must never forget that the Devilwants his soul in hell as he wants ours, and we must fight the Devil for him.We may be forced to oppose a man to prevent his endangering souls; butalways we want to win him, for his own soul’s salvation. It is in the powerof the Holy Ghost that we must fight, and He is the Love of the Father andthe Son; in so far as the Church’s soldiers fight in hatred, they are fightingagainst Him.The war is fought with many weapons, but the principal one is Truth. Fortruth means seeing reality as it is. Men who do not know what God is, whatman’s soul is, what the purpose of life is and what follows death, are simplynot living in the real world. And this is the condition of the great mass ofthe human race. They need to be shown the truths about God, the spiritualorder, the world to come, for men cannot live according to a reality whichthey do not see—nor dare we blame them for failing to live according to areality which we have never shown them. Above all they must come to seeand know Christ Our Lord, in whom all truth is contained and by whom it isannounced to men. — A Classic — Includes Active Table of Contents — Includes Religious Illustrations A couple of years ago I visited a town where I was to lecture. A young woman told me she was coming to my lecture, and then asked what it was to be about. I said “The Blessed Trinity.” She said “Oh,” and then after a distinct pause “Ah well.” In other words, if her Bishop wanted her to listen to a lecture on the Blessed Trinity, she would listen to it: she hoped, doubtless, that she would do even harder things if her Bishop called for them. Aeterna Press