The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-10
Tho Immaculate Conception.

orleans. NotnlDH could more July SNOW
the hold it has on popular feeling than such
q manifestation among q population which
Is rather wanting in fervor, as general
thing, in keeping holidays that fall during
the week.
We may we'll call it glorious feast.
properly adapted to calling forth senti-
ments of gratitude and honorable pride.
The first Eve fell and with her the whole
race was lost. The second Eve stood firm
and with her the race was saved.
: Let us remember that Mary and Eve held
exactly the Same position in the most i'm
portant respect. They were both created
without sin. The stain of that original sin
which runs like q poison throughout the
veins of all other descendants of Adam
never soiled the Conception OF birth of
Mary the Immaculate.
1t has been objected to this doctrine that
Christ died for all men, without exception,
and that Mary was an exception if she was
without stain. She could not be redeemed
if she were not lost. She had no need Of
His divine blood if che were stainless. 1t
member that her freedom from sin in con-
ception and life was but the effect of the
divine redemption. 1t was the grace of
the divine sacrifice applied to her, as it
was to the Saints of the old law, by anti
cipation of that which was to be. If such
a prodigy were even somewhat common, if
occasionally very pious parents were re-
warded with the conception of q child
without the stain of the original sin upon
him-this would not show that such chill
dren were exempted from the law of re-
demption, but merely that the force of the
Redemption had been already exerted in
their behalf with extraordinary potency.
Without the influence of that grace it is
evident that they would have been con-
ceived in their natural condition of sin, land
so it would have been with tho daughter
of Joachim and Ann-the angelic Mary.
Conceived without sin How difficult
for US to realize what that imports! The
fatal leaven of the original sin impregnates
and modifes our whole nature. We are
all prone to evil as the sparks are to fly
upward. We all have an hordinate ten
We are borne towards concupiscense, in
temperance of eating and drinking, excess
es of temper, slotli, rash judgments, evil
speaking, envy, hatred and all manner of
selfshness. We read of heroines in poetry
who approach an ideal of perfection, but
in real life each and every son and daugh-
Ter of Adam and Eve is prone to evil of
every kind and description. Some are not
80 powerfully borne to evil as others, but
all to such an extent that nothing but the
grace of God prevents them from becoming
devils. The original sin is a poisoned
fount placed in the heart of every man,
mingling it's bitter waters with the current
of blood which each tLrob sends on it's
| mission of life.
Mary is the only heroine who has really
attained perfection and perfection such
approached. 1t was not the perfection of
fallen nature purified bat still prone to
evil; it was the original perfection in
| which our race was created and which is
almost incomprehensible to Us now in its
lofty purity. Mary was like being of an
other race, so different is our present state
from that Of our creation. There was NO
concupiscence in her blood, no baleful fire
in her heart, no malice in her soul. I'm
movable she stood in her gentieness, NO
taunt or wrong could provoke an irregular
emotion in her innocent mind, no I'M
worthiness could cool the fire of love
which she entertained for every human
! being The storms of life and its sunshine
alike failed to disturb that unalterable
calm which toned down all the mighty
passions of q glorious nature into holy
hush. She suffered it is true. The sword
pierced her heart but no cry escaped her
lips and no reproach met the hand that
struck the blow.
We cannot possibly form conception Of
the more than angelic beauty which
graced that glorious soul that God had
prepared for His own tabernacle. Unlike
Eve she did not fall away under trial from
| Dba1;onca oh ha ouoI how Ttraotor