About the book: The Church and Her Enemies is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1880.
The story is told of a Western-bound train, flying along with lightning speed: the time was shortly after sunset. Suddenly, a crash was heard. The train stopped. "What is the matter?" the passengers asked one another.
A huge owl, dazzled by the glare, had struck against the reflector in front of the engine, shivered the glass, and tried to extinguish the light, and a great bull had set its head against the engine, to stop the train.
The lamp was rekindled, the engine sped on, but the stupid owl and the obstinate bull were cast aside, dead, and left to rot, and be devoured by wild beasts. An Irishman, on seeing them, exclaimed: "I admire your courage, but condemn your judgment."
This train may be likened to the holy Catholic Church, speeding on, on her heaven-sent mission, to lead men to heaven by the light of her holy doctrine. The foolish owl, the enemy of light and the friend of darkness, represents Lucifer, who, as the foe of God, and of the light of God's holy religion, has always been endeavouring to extinguish the light of the true religion.
The bull represents the kings and emperors, the heretics and members of secret societies, whom Lucifer uses to stop, if possible, the progress of the Catholic Church, the bearer of the light of faith. Although it is hard, in a certain sense, not to admire the courage of Lucifer's agents, yet we cannot but condemn their judgment, their folly and wickedness, in opposing the work of God, and bringing down upon themselves the everlasting curse of the Almighty.
About the author: Fr Michael Müller (1825-1899) CSsR was a prolific Catholic writer of the 19th century in the United States.
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