THE doctrine of saint worship, as taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, puts poor humanity in the place of Christ and robs the sinner of a Saviour, and the Saviour of the office of the “one mediator between God and men.” To show this a number of quotations are published below. The reader will be tempted to regard the quotations as manufactured for the purpose of burlesquing the Roman Catholic doctrine, but they are all taken from a work entitled “Manual of Devotion to Good St. Anne,” a work containing the indorsement of “E. A. Card. Taschereau, Archbishop of Quebec,” and printed by the “General Printing Office, A. Coté & Co., Quebec.” The writer’s attention was first called to the work by seeing it in the hands of pilgrims at the shrine of “St. Anne” at Beaupré, Que., and afterwards he purchased it of the official booksellers near the church of St. Anne. No words of comment can be so strong and fitting as the words of God, hence each quotation is followed by an appropriate text of scripture.
“O GLORIOUS parents [St. Joachim and St. Anne] of the Queen of Mercy, she will never refuse to pray for those recommended to her by you! Vouchsafe then to recommend me to her and beg of her to inscribe me among her servants and clients: thereby shall I be inscribed in the book of life. If you will do this, Mary will grant me her favor and I shall be saved.” Pp. 167, 168.
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands.” Isaiah 49:15, 16. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that beleiveth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31.
“MY powerful protectors, Joachim and Anne, this is my most ardent wish and ye can obtain it for me. Say one word in my favor to your beloved Daughter; tell Mary I would rather be the least of her servants than command the whole world; beg of her not to reject me because of my unworthiness. Thus ye will have saved a soul, and what could be more worthy of the father and mother of her through whom salvation has come to us.” Pp. 175, 176.
Thus saith the Lord: “Cursed be the mean that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm.” Jeremiah 17:5. “Being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Hebrews 5:9. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:4-9.
“AND since thy blessed Daughter Mary has been entrusted by our Lord with the glorious task of distributing to souls that precious liquor of divine love, do thou beg of her to pour a large measure of it into my heart.” Pp. 134, 135. “St. Anne, obtain for me the love of Jesus crucified.” P. 252.
“The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5. “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” 1 John 3:1. “But after the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward men appeared, … which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Titus 3:4, 6.
“PLEAD for me with the Advocate of sinners [Mary] that she may obtain for me the grace of repentance and the pardon of all my iniquities.” Pp. 84, 85.
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1, 2.
“GOOD St. Anne, come to my aid; obtain for me from Jesus, through the merits of thine own sacrifice, that he may vouchsafe to change my disposition.” P. 216.
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:12, 14.
“GLORIOUS and holy Queen [St. Anne], … the just, the penitent and sinners claim thee as their powerful advocate with God, for by thy intercession the just hope for an increase of grace, the penitent for justification and sinners for forgiveness of their sins. Be thou then compassionate and merciful, and whilst here below, we are invoking thee; do thou be pleading for us in heaven. Do thou exert the great influence in our favor and let not those who put their trust in thee be lost. Show thyself to be always the refuge of sinners, the resort of the guilty, the consolation of the afflicted, and the assured help of thy faithful clients.” Pp. 182, 183.
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 2:1, 12. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. “Who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of [283] the glory of God.” Romans 4:25; 5:1, 2. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:16. “To the Lord our God belongeth mercies and forgivenesses.” Daniel 9:9. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” Psalm 146:3, 4.
“SWEET Jesus, I thank thee for all the graces which in thy infinite goodness thou hast lavished upon St. Anne; for having chosen her among all women to be thy grandparent on earth and exalted her in heaven with so great a power of working miracles. In the name of her great merit I humbly recommend myself to the infinite mercy of thy divine heart.” Pp. 365, 366.
“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10, 12.
“THE sacred Scriptures speak very little of many holy personages whose destiny was bound up with the work of our redemption. A single page would contain all that is directly related therein of the Blessed Virgin, and scarcely is St. Joseph mentioned at all, while the life, the virtues and even the name of St. Anne are left in complete oblivion. The ever blessed and beloved name of St. Anne has been transmitted to us only by tradition and by the gratitude of Christian nations.” P. 71.
“From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:15, 16, 17. “Why do ye also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition?” “Thus have ye made the commandments of God of none effect by your tradition.” “But in vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:2, 6, 9. [288]