“For the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” — St. Luke xvi, 18.

In my previous instructions, I spoke of true and false toleration, the glory and the happiness of the Catholic faith and the misery and misfortune of unbelief. It was my purpose on the one hand to place luminously before your minds the beauty and truth of the Catholic Church, and on the other hand to fill your soul with horror for the folly of unbelief and of hatred against the Catholic Church. To serve as a warning I portrayed for you both the secret and the avowed enemies of Catholic life and faith. I called your attention to the pseudo-Catholics who, under the mask of specious sentiments, seduce innumerable souls, and, by word and example, restrain many from making an open profession of faith by frequenting the sacraments and attending divine service. We have seen that the fabricators of religious creeds are all the more dangerous to the faith and salvation of careless Catholics, because of the disguise which they assume. They labor under the delusion that man can make his own religion, or at least arrange the Christian truths to suit himself. By their activity they infect countless others with the self-same delusion.

A third formidable enemy of Christian faith, of man’s eternal salvation, is rationalistic ignorance concerning matters of faith. Sloth and vanity, or the craze for being reputed men of culture, induces many to despise instruction and neglect the acquisition of a fuller knowledge of the noblest and most necessary science on earth, the faith. The resultant ignorance and stupidity in religious matters are enough to make one shudder. This deliberate ignorance can be compared to paganism which had but a faint glimmer of all things eternal and heavenly. Hence the utter moral degradation into which it fell. It may be compared to the sombre pall of night, that overtakes the uncertain traveler of dangerous paths and leads him to the precipice or into the swamp. The beneficent light of faith does not cast its radiance on life’s pathway for those who deliberately remain in ignorance of the. truths of religion. The sunbeam of grace does not penetrate into their souls to glorify it. Faith is not their friendly guide, their consolation in misfortune, their balm in despair, their light in perplexity and the ground of their hope. Cold and dreary as a winter’s night are their hearts, and the sad remnant of their waning faith is like the dying lamp that flickers once and again and then leaves all in deathlike gloom. God save us from so terrible a state of soul.

But whence comes it, my dearly beloved, that these enemies of the true welfare of the faithful can cause such widespread devastation; and whence comes it that even true and steadfast Catholics offer them such feeble resistance? It comes from this, that the children of the world, the godless, are wiser in their generation than the children of light, the faithful. It is my purpose to speak to you to-day of the children of this world, and to point out to you precisely in what their worldly wisdom consists. We will then better understand who the children of light are, and what Christian prudence prompts us to do. O Jesus, assist us with Thy grace!

In the Gospel for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Our Divine Saviour calls attention to the unjust steward who provided for his old age at the expense of his master. On this occasion He pronounced words that remain eternally true: “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light” (St. Luke xvi, 8). Now to what does Our Divine Saviour refer under the designation “of this world”? He refers to the unbelieving godless world, which has become a prey to vice and to the deeds of darkness, which denies or hates God and the Redeemer, which persecutes the Church and ridicules and insults all those who remain true to their Catholic faith and observe the commandments.

Our Divine Saviour told His Apostles that as the world had hated Him so also would it hate them. In His prayer at the Last Supper, shortly before His bitter Passion and Death, He pronounced words that must arouse fear and dread in our souls : “I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me —because they are thine” (St. John xvii, 9). St. John the Apostle plainly states the reason why this world was excluded from the sacerdotal prayer of Christ: “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 St. John ii, 15, 16).

This world, therefore, is the kingdom of sin, the realm of unbelief, of the hatred of God and of eternal warfare against the Redeemer and His kingdom, His Church and His faithful. In a word, it is the kingdom of Satan on earth, that kingdom which Our Divine Saviour excluded from His last prayer, because it does not wish to be redeemed and therefore rejects the Redeemer, just as the Jewish people rejected Him.

“And the world knew Him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (St. John i, 10, 11). Children of this world are, therefore, all those who have adopted the hostility, the unbelief, the hatred and rebellion against God and the Saviour, the evil maxims of this world, and regulate their lives according to them, be they pagans, Jews, or men baptized in the Catholic faith, in a word, they are the whole vast multitude of impious men.

Now what is meant by the light, and who are the children of light? The light is our Divine Saviour who enlightens all men that believe in Him : “Now this is eternal life — that they may know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent”, (St. John xvii, 3). Children of the light are, therefore, the true faithful, those for whom our Divine Saviour pleaded : “I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me — because they are thine — Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, whom thou hast given me — that they may be one, as we also are” (St. John xvii, 9-1 1). Children of light are they who believe in that Saviour and observe His commandments, and for this they are hated by the world. “If the world hate you, know you that it hath hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore, the world hateth you. Remember my word that I said to you, — The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; but all these things they will do to you for my name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent me. He that hateth me, hateth my Father also” (St. John xv, 18-23).

But the children of light, of grace, of salvation, in a word, the true faithful compose the only true, Catholic Church, the kingdom of God on earth is not of this world. The Catholic Church is the antithesis of the world. Therefore, the uncompromising hatred of this world falls solely on the Catholic Church, because she everywhere announces the Divine Redeemer, spreads His faith everywhere, and has preserved it until this present hour. This hatred has caused all the sad manifestations of our time. So the world is pointed out as a warning to all who have eyes that they may see and who have ears that they may hear. All the persecutions, lies and calumnies, maledictions, spoliations and unjust laws, spring from one source, this world. Now Our Divine Saviour tells us that “the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” We will now proceed to characterize this wisdom, not indeed for our edification, but for our warning and instruction, for it is not only the priest’s duty and office to edify his people, but also to warn them against the enemies of their salvation. It would, indeed, be easier and less disturbing to remain silent, but this would be cowardice and even prevarication. Things would never have come to their present pass in the Christian world, had men dared to speak and act at the proper time.

To act with prudence requires union. Note how united the enemies of the Catholic faith are! Disagreements they may have among themselves, but in the heat of battle against the Catholic Church they forget all about them. They stand together as one man, and this explains how a handful of godless men can actually carry out the program they have outlined in their secret conclaves. In contrast to this, observe how disunited the mass of Catholics are even on questions that concern their most sacred possessions, faith, grace, the Christian education of their children, the sanctity of matrimony, and future security! Each one thinks only of himself and probably says: “What is that to me? Let others fight it out!” In fact, a large proportion of the faithful are under the impression that the bishops and priests are the only ones concerned in the struggle for morality and faith, and that the laity need not bother their heads about it. And still, there is question of their weal or woe! If soldiers in battle were to say: “What’s that to us? Let the generals and the officers fight it out,” they would not only lose the battle, but in the end would themselves have the hardest lot to bear, for the enemy usually defeats the generals and officers more easily than the common soldiers. Because of their union the children of this world are wiser than the children of light who do not unite their forces in defense of their most sacred possessions, those involving their temporal and eternal welfare, thus adopting the most effective means of repelling the assaults of their enemies and who even refuse to join Catholic societies intended to concentrate the Catholic strength.

Obedience and order belong to prudence. How wise are the children of this world united by obedience and order in the carrying out of their projects. A secret committee lays out the whole plan of action, and when everything is in readiness the word is given, and simultaneously in the press and in public meetings the agitation is begun. At first they demand equal rights for all, toleration and liberalism, then gradually everything that is calculated to dechristianize society. Our papers are supposed to express public opinion, but this public opinion is made to order, in assorted quantities and handsomely paid for. If such order and obedience prevailed among Catholics; if Catholics listened with attention and confidence to the voice of their pastors, we should soon see a regenerated people arise for whom God and the things of God would have an immediate personal interest. Yet there are many who consider themselves devout Catholics, although they fail to observe the commandments of the Church. Do not think that the matter merely concerns your priests. No, it concerns yourselves, your children, your peace and welfare, the salvation of your souls. Christian prudence demands that Catholics preserve order and harmony among themselves.

Prudence also demands courage. How courageous, how regardless of self are the children of this world, the enemies of the Catholic faith! Every step, fiercely contested, brings them nearer to the goal ; they constantly gain ground, strength, more adherents. They are in command everywhere, and everything must bow to their pleasure. Lack of courage, negligence and carelessness on the part of Catholics have cleared the way for them. Many, indeed, secretly bewail the sad conditions of affairs, but none dares openly express his conviction in speech or action ; nay, the sinews of war — money — are lavishly provided for those who hate the very name of Catholic. And Catholics themselves are afraid to read, much less subscribe for, a Catholic paper, lest they be decried as religiously inclined. Courage is the Catholic’s badge of honor. Jesus showed heavenly courage in His passion for us. The Apostles, the martyrs, nay, even children and maidens displayed heroic courage. A Catholic must be a man of courage especially in our day. Courage is his best weapon. With courage we can overcome our enemies and gain a glorious victory. Courage is an essential requisite of Christian prudence.

Prudence requires fine strategy. How accomplished are the children of the world in this respect! “Divide et impera, Divide and rule,” is an old proverb. These are the tactics of the enemies of Catholic life. At first they bring their attacks to bear on the Jesuits and poor nuns, next they turn their attention to the priests and missionaries, and then they assault the bishops and the Pope. The hierarchy and the ministry of the Church are held up to the gaze of the world as blood-sucking tyrants whose only aim is to terrorize consciences and press the last hard-earned penny from the poor man. And our Catholics are gullible enough to believe all this, and before they know it the enemy is at their own throats, despoiling them of all they hold most sacred in life. Let us not be deceived by our enemies. We can readily learn from their lives and their speech who they are, and what they wish to accomplish by their shrewdness.

To this wisdom of the children of the world we owe all the lies and the calumnies, all the derision and the insults that are daily poured out upon the Catholic Church. Worldly strategy also inspires the sedulous ignoring of all that is favorable to the Church, all that is meritorious and pleasing to God. Credulous Catholics respond to these ingenious tactics by believing every lie they read in the papers; they swear by the journal they take and imbibe its poison like mother’s milk, so that finally they become animated, perambulating newspapers. The indifference, the cowardice, the disobedience, the discord, the tactlessness of Catholics are responsible for the surrender of the immediate future to the children of the world. And when the time is ripe they will not fail to lay a galling yoke upon the necks of our milk and water Catholics.

My dearly beloved, be warned! Do not give ear to every whisper of so-called public opinion which has been manufactured and paid for. Believe our Divine Saviour who has bled for you upon the cross. Believe the Catholic Church, our mother on earth, who, imitating the example of her divine Founder, has suffered nineteen centuries for the faith, for the truth, for the salvation of souls. She will gladly continue to suffer if only she can save souls, and preserve until the end of time the heritage of the nations, namely, redemption. Believe your priests, who openly and fearlessly defend the faith and lay bare the malice of the enemy. This is true Christian prudence, the prudence of the children of light, who believe God and His Church and stand armed against every attack of the world.

It is thus that the holy martyrs behaved. Theirs was indeed true wisdom ! They did not surrender the precious pearl of faith and of grace because of ridicule. By their courage, their harmony, their prudence, their defense of a sacred cause, they have won undying fame and eternal happiness, and to-day the Catholic Church exalts them. Do you, like them, be warned that you may preserve the faith and grace intact and that on the day of judgment you may receive mercy and life eternal for your steadfast profession of the faith, and not be numbered among the children of this world and share with them their sad lot in eternity. May God strengthen us all, and grant us His grace so that, as children of light we may persevere unto death in the faith and in the love of Jesus the Saviour of our souls, and obtain the palm of victory for all eternity in recompense of our Christian warfare. Amen.

The Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Church Vol. 1 (1916)
Rev. Edward Jones