If the text of any version extant is compared with those which
are painted on the walls of the church in Celaya, there surely will
be found a great discrepancy. The following are translations:
"MARY, my mother, in thee I hope; save me from those that persecute
me." - Psalm vii. 1.
"Be thou exalted, O MARY, above the heavens, and thy glory above all
the earth." - Psalm lvii. 5.
'I will sing to MARY while I live." - Psalm civ. 33.
"Serve MARY with love, and rejoice in her with trembling." - Psalm ii.
11.
"Offer sacrifices of righteousness and trust in MARY." - Psalm iv. 5.
"Let everything that hath breath praise OUR LADY," etc., etc.
Protestant Christians pay almost all the entire cost of circulating
Roman Catholic translations of the Scriptures over the world. In the
versions of De Saci (French), Martini (Italian), Scio (Spanish),
Pereira (Portuguese), and Wuyka (Polish), we find in Matthew 3: 2,
and thirty-four other places, instead of "repent ye" the words, "do
penance," while in Matthew 3: 8, and some twenty other places, the
word that should be translated "repentance," is rendered penance.
In the following light way "penance" can be done, while "repentance"
is not thought of.
For sins against the Church the priest will often condemn the culprit
to wear a hideous garment for hours, or days, according to the
gravity of the offence, but this punishment can be worn by proxy.
There are always those who, for a consideration, will don the badge
of disgrace.
What is called "Holy Week" gives proofs of the shallowness of Rome's
piety. Priests and people alike can weep, fast and faint, because
their God is suffering and dying; all traffic can stop because, they
say, "God has died"; but as soon as the death of Judas is announced,
at noon on Saturday, the noise of guns, pistols, squibs, etc., takes
the place of the death-like quiet that had reigned. After an hour or
two silence again prevails till Sunday morning, when all restraint is
removed, and people seem to make up for lost time. Drinking and
kindred evils run riot, and it is no uncommon thing on the Sunday
night to see the people drinking and dancing by the light of the
candles they were burning to their favorite virgin or saint.
In the large city of Lima, for centuries a very stronghold of image
worship, the interest in the Church has of late years been waning.
Perhaps one reason for this is the changing nature of the native
population of the city, for the deaths there exceed the births.
Seeing this falling away from the Church, the priests announced that
they had decided to send for the Sacred Heart of the Virgin, and
trusted that the presence of this holy relic would promote the more
faithful attendance of the flock.
