The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-10-16
ssrmon of Father Burke.

oSx4uO0 Oh xotn0f 0uIx6.
On the occasion Of the solemn Iridium,
or three days Thanksgiving to God for the
definition Of the dogma Of infallibility, re-
Gently celebrated in Dublin, the Rev. Fa-
Their Burke delivered q magnificent dis
course, Of which the following is an extract I:
The grandest work of God is His holy
Church. Built upon the foundation Of
the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the. chief cornerstone, in
whom all the building being framed to-
gether groweth up into an holy temple in
the Lord" she is the Getty Of God,n the
New jerusalem" the "Bride Of the
Lamb the mystic body of Christ, of
which He is the head. Unity of thought,
OF belief, of understanding, obedience of
mind, and of will, and love. These are the
essential traits of the Church of Christ, the
unfailing signs by which all men may know
her, and recognize in her the mystical
body of the Lord and the Bride of the
Lamb. These signs the Lord has put upon
n; Church and oap to her by
head, wherefore the Apostle says, "He
hath subjected all things under His feet,
and hath made Him head over all the
Church, which is His body" and else
where, 81 fill up those things that are
wanting Of the sufferings of Christ in my
Christ, then, is the real, abiding head of
His Church. In heaven, where the Church
is triumphant, He governs Immediately
and IN His own person. On earth, where
the Church is militant, He rules her in the
person OF His representative, viceroy OF
vicar. That vicar is the Pope of Rome,
the visible head of the Church of God, the
representative of the invisible head, who
is Christ. He is to the Church visibly what
Christ is to her invisibly, and this in vir-
tue of the apostolic succession, by which
he is the successor of st. Peter, the Prince
inheriting Peters Office, privileges, and
power, representing Peter and through
Peter Christ. Whatever the Church be-
lleves of Peter, as appointed by Christ to
govern her, the same does she believe of
the Pope of Rome. Whatever she asserts
that Peter received as Head of the Church,
the same does she claim for Peters sue
cessor-tbe Pope of Rome. If, therefore
we wish to know what Plus is, we have
only to contemplate what Peter was, for as
Christ remained in Peter SO Peter remains
in Plus; and the Church of God, in her re-
cent dogmatic definition, has done nothing
more than to claim for Plus what belonged
to Peter by Divine appointment, and what
was necessary for him in order to insure
the unity and command the obedience of
the faithful. Now, Peter received from
Christ three distinct privileges, by which
he became the centre of the Church's unity;
IN being the infallible exponent of her
IN being the visible source of all .jurisdic-
lion and authority, aud the centre of the
love in being the common father
If all Christians, who are united with
Christ by true faith and real charity. The
;hree privileges conferred on Peter and his
successors were First, that he was the
Vicar of Christ; second, that he was the
pastor of the whole Church;
bird, that he was the rock on which the
Church was built, and because it was
Ibove all things necessary that men should
Know the true Church in its head, there,
ore did Christ make these three preroga-
ives of st. Peter as clear rs the noon day
n the Scripture, 80 that no one can refuse
o see them save those who close their eyes
hat they may not see. First, then, Peter
vas appointed Vicar and Viceroy of Jesus
Christ, and Jesus answering said to him,
i've to thee the keys Of the kingdom of
eaven, and Whatsoever thou shalt bind
pom earth it shall be bound also in heaven;
nd whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth it
hall be loosed Also in heaven" In these
words Christ gave TO Peter personally and
istinct from the other apostles the rights
nd privileges of vicar or representative.
70 his representative thus appointed he
communicates his own power, so that the
lceroy becomes to the people all that the
King himself ia. His DEGREES have the
anne force, his laws the same authority. 4 !,
lie interprets the mind of the monarch,
nd whoever disObeys him disobeys the
King himself. Thusit 10 with the viceroy !
r Vicar of Jesus. Christ. He is the repre- :
entail De of Christ the King. He is the
wing visible link connecting the church
With her Eternal Head and Ruler. What
yer power Christ Himself would exercise,
Vere He visibly present as head of the
hurch, the same does his vicar exercise
nd possess, and the church is bound to {
ield to her visible head, the Vicar of
,hrist, the same obedience which she
vould give to Jesus Christ Himself were =
lie to demand it in His own proper and
sible person. The Pope is Christ in
flee, Christ in Jurisdiction and power, and
s such the church is bound to regard him
s she has ever done. The church is bound
0 be united with her visible head as a A
ecessary condition to her union with her
Invisible Head. 1t is only through union o
mon with Christ; and as the church of
Iod can never be separated from her In :
isible Head, who promised that He would
bide with her forever, SO it follows that
he can never be separated from her visible -
cad, who is the link and bond of her in {
isible union with Christ But if the Pope,
no is Peters successor and Christ's vicar, "
ere capable, in virtue of his Office as head
the church, of propounding or teaching
'ror, the church, which cannot err, would to
3 obliged to separate from him, and SO OF
lie silver cord would be broken, the gold MI
4 tAlet would shrink back, the old dis e.
der aud wild confusion which Christ had
paired would return again into Christ's