He desired us to love and lead them into the way of life
as the shepherd leads a flock into the fold. I repeat again, there
would have been no room for atheism if we--we--the servants of
Christ, had been strictly true to our vocation."
By this time the Archbishop had recovered his equanimity. He sat
down and surveyed the up-standing figure of the Cardinal with
curiosity and a touch of pity.
"You think too much of these things," he said soothingly--"You are
evidently overwrought with study and excessive zeal. Much that you
say may be true; nevertheless the Church--OUR Church--stands firm
among overwhelming contradictions,--and we, its ministers, do what
we can. I myself am disposed to think that the multitude of the
saved is greater than the multitude of the lost."
"I envy you the consolation such a thought must give," responded the
Cardinal, as he resumed his seat opposite his visitor--"I, on the
contrary, have the pained and bitter sense that we are to blame for
all this 'multitude of the lost,' or at any rate that we could have
done more in the way of rescue than we have done." He paused a
moment, passing one hand across his forehead wearily. "In truth this
is what has for a long time weighed upon my mind, and depressed my
spirits even to the detriment of bodily health.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82