The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-12

Oh the mht1n6 ana lduOS OF tuo tn1oo uayo
on which they are celebrated, they COM
prise those psalms which breathe most
touchingly spirit of woe and lamen-
tation sorrow pervades every movement,
and one by one the lights with which
| the sanctuary is at first Illuminated, are
all extinguished but one. This denotes
the gradual and total extinction of the
lights which the Jews had received from
the prophets. The one left burning repre-
sents the Saviour, and though never extin-
guished, is hidden for while under the
altar, thus typifying the total spiritual
darkness in which the world was plunged
during His entombment.
GOOD FRIDAY.
Though this is the only day of the year
on which no mass is said, there is no other
day, probably, on which our churches are
so constantly thronged throughout the
whole of it. The neighborhood of every
church presents an animated scene, with
the crowds of men, women, and children,
who appear to be making pilgrimage to
every sanctuary in the city.
1t will generally be found that the devO-
ton of the visitors is divided between two
central points, the repository and the cru
cifx. The altar where the Sacred Host was
kept is still generally blaze of light and
ornaments. Here is constant current of
humanity which comes and passes on, after
having paused while within the motion
less circle of prayer. The main altar re-
mains stripped and desolate, the door of it's
tabernacle thrown wide open, to signify its
abandonment by Him who has gone to show
us the way through the valley of death.
The other central point of attraction is
another side altar, or other location, where
the crucified image of our Saviour, in the
attitude of death, is exposed to the venera-
ton of the faithful. Sometimes it is so dis
posed that those approaching can get near
enough to kiss the sacred wounds. In other
instances, the image of the dead Body is
represented>a as detached from the=Gross and
laid out in the sepulchre. In the course of
the day we paused before one of these that
was admirable as work of art, and EN-
bodied mute eloquence more touching
and more effective than many a grand dis
course. The pallid hand of death was on
the brow, and the agony of dissolution still
rested on the beautiful features. The
natural size, and nature so initiated by art
as to convey, through the eye, what cannot
be expressed in language.
It is hard for us to realize that God can
suffer or die. We are prone to think that
even in the flesh, Divinity sustained Him
and made his Passion easy to undergo.
That it was all nothing to Him-not like
our sufferings and sorrows, a reality in
which we can sympathize, but something
mystical and incomprehensible, more appa-
rent than real In looking, though, upon
these mastery representations, we are
aided in realizing the actual truth-that
his flesh was just like ours, his sufferings
just like ours, and his death just like ours
that his Divinity did not sustain him; that
it was physical pain which killed him. The
great incomprehensible mystery, that God
became really Man, comes nearer home.
1t is much to be regretted that the
churches have not all of them the means to
place before the eyes of the faithful these
beautiful but expensive masterpieces. 1t
is only the weather. OF more liberal con-
gregations that have obtained them so far.
Yet, what more desirable use could affiuent
Catholics find for surplus means than in
procuring these most useful adjuncts to the
sanctuary Not every man can be an
apostle, but men of wealth can, with their
means, place in the church some monument
of piety and genius that will in itself be an
ever-teaching, though silent sermon.
TEA.-Mr. j. w. Platt, No. l02 Camp
street, announces the receipt of choice teas
in another column. We heard a good deal
about these teas, and knowing that peace
will not "reign in Warsaw" where good