The New York herald., 1871-03-13
CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER.
Discourse on the Blessed Virgin, by the Rev.
James HaEarty.

Discourse the Blessed Virgin, by the Rev.
James Hagarty.
Despite the threatening aspect or the weather yes
terday Sixteenth street church was thronged as
usual by fashionable and devout congregation.
Before the Credo Father Roman introduced the
preacher Of the occasion, Rev. James Hagarty, Of
Cork, Ireland. The latter clergyman has been max
ing extensive tour through our country, to pro-
cure funds for the erection of new church in the
city OF Cork. He is highly educated and possesses
a musical voice, in which the accent or his native
province is scarcely perceptibe.
Having read the gospel OF the day, he took his
text therefrom-Luke, xi, q, 2s-"And it came
to pass as lie Uesusl spoke these things, that
q certain woman from the crowd, lifting up
her voice, said to him: Blessed Is the womb that
bore Thee and the paps that gave Thee suck.
But He said: Yea, rather blessed they who hear
the word OF God and keep it." Honor forever be
to the memory OF this fearless woman. Crafty and
designing men are laying snares for Jesus; they
accuse Him OF casting out devils through Beezebub,
but she exalts Him and
BLEssEs THE WOMB THAT BORE HIM.
Jesus had already given sufficient proof Of His
divinity. "If / had not performed such wonders
before them, as no man ever performed, they might
not believe" We see in the Gospel how He well
futed their faacious argum ent His words paralyzed
the crowd; nor did He gainsay the encomium be.
slowed by the woman, but exclaims:-"Yea, rather
blessed &c PrOtestants say that those words dis
parage His blessed mother and that she ID not
ENTITLED 70 BIZ CALLED BLESSED.
1t s true that the poverty or the English ldicm
does not permit OF an adequate comprehension OF
Chrsts meanings but even In the English lam
guage the words OF Jesus are q confirmation OF what
the woman said. But in the worst construction the
words have the same sgniicati0n as If Christ were
to say. 1T is indeed blessed thing to be my
mother but more blessed to keep the word Of God, ~
Now, 1t is certain that Mary was more
BLESSED IN PERSONAL sANcTITY
than In being the mother OF God. She truly kept
his sacred word. How much more blessed, there
fore. must she be than the rest OF m0rtals Let u.s.,
says the venerable Bede ..lifl up voices to the
| Lord with that Church Of which the woman
was tho type ana exclaim-biessed is the
/ womb that bore thee and the paps that
gave thee suck.n Moses once wished 10
| approach the Lord In burning bush, but God said
10 him, Put thy shoes from of thy feet, for the
| place where thou standest is holy ground.n And as
the presence OF the Most High impaired sanctity
TO the surrounding soil so did the presence OF Jesus
III the virgins womb beatty her III special man
/ ner. No wonder thai she is styled
| BEAUTIFUL AS MOON.
for as the moon oulshines the other planets so far
| does Mary outshine the rest Of moftals Devotion
to the mother or God has at all times characterized
| the old CHURCH. II at one time asserted that
Mary was not the mother OF God, hut In obedience
TO the Pope all the lights OF the Church convened nj
Ephesus 10 decide the question The populace tool