The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-05-21

SuSStoH u tno gIoO0-OI grler 6C the sacrl
leges committed against our Lord Jesul
Christ, in the sacred person Of His Vicar
on earth; and of joy at the examples Of
faith, fortitude and charity which you arc
giving to the world when We are all q
much in need of them.
Our voices are late in reaching you. We
are few in number, scattered over q wids
extent of country, and with not many
priests to help us. Already for several
months, in one place and another, We have
been utteriDg our protestations, and now
we desire to gather them all in one, and
lay them at your Holiness feet for the glo-
rious twenty-fifth anniversary of tho day
when "the Holy Ghost placed you, Bishop,
to rule the Church of God, which He hath
purchased with His own blood" (Acts *.
2s.)
1t is indeed q glorious anniversary. Not
only glorious to you, Most Holy Father,
1or its slngu!arity, but even your humility
to the power and mercy of God.
Only the Holy Ghost, the living eoul of
the Church, could give light and strength
to any mortal man to rule over it with
power and wisdom, most of all in this last
quarter OF century, with all its vicssi-
eigns and licentious mobs have so often
made friends together, like Plate and
HerOd, to persecute Christ in His mystical
body when Governments have directed
their laws, and writers have directed their
books and periodicals, aud individuals
and their worldly means, all alike to the
one enc OF making men independent of
the teaching and government of God. For
this purpose they have madly lahored to
overthrow the Church, the living embodi-
ment OF Gods authority on earth. And
bined, they direct their unceasing blows at
the dlvinely appointed Head of the Church,
the successor of st. Peter, the Shepherd of
both lambs and sheep, the Confessor of his
brethren, the Vicar of Him in whom
corporally." (Colos. ii. 81
Its glorious for God that He has enabled
one man, during twenty-five years, to face
fearlessly all these infuriated enemies of
His "little flock" (St. Luke, xii. 32.)
And it is glorious for you, Most Holy
purchased by the Precious Blood of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, your whole pontificate
has been q copy of His sufferings on the
cross, where that blood was shed and you
have experienced the fulflment Of His pro-
mise that the persecution of His disciples
should make them moro like unto Himself.
(St. John XIV. COY
Standing during all this time as q bar
rier between the weak flock and the raven
ons wolves, with no other defence but to
stretch out your arms in prayer, you could
repeat every day with that Divine Victim
stretched on the cross, and speaking in the
their mouths against me, as a lion ravening
and roaring. Many dogs have encompassed
me; the council of the malignant hath be-
sieged me. They parted my garments
among them" (Psalms xxi. IA, 1917
And at the same time, strengthened by
His Adorable Blood, and animated with HE
Divine Spirit, you have found light and
courage in all your pains to vindicate the
truths of God against all attacks, both
open and concealed and to publish aloud
His wonderful works in behalf of migrate
full men. Chiefly the work of His Infinite
II holiness, reflected in the greatest of all His
Creatures Conceived Without Sin, and the |
work of His mercy and truth, in establish
ing among men the living Infallible Teacher
OF all truth that lights the way to Heaven.
And thus He has granted you to fulfil what
in the same prophecy He promised from
the cross to do through His Wears to the
end of time. 81 will declare Thy name to
my brethren. In the midst of the church
will praise Thee. The poor shall eat and
shall be filled. Their hearts shall live for
ever and ever, and my seed shall serve
Him." Ibid, %, BY
And now, Most Holy Father, that this
quarter of century has been filled up
with the mysteries of the Passion, may we
not pray that the remainder of your great
pontiticate may rejoice your magnanimous
soul, and comfort our poor, weak hearts,
with exhibiting the triumphs of Easter and
Pentecostf With all the fervor we can
kindle, we unite our prayers with yours,
offering them in the words of Him who sis
always living to make intercession for us"-
(Hebrew vii. 25)-expressed in that same
prophetic psalm-that He may shorten the
time of His justice. But Thou, o Lord,
remove not Thy help to a distance from
me- Deliver, o God, my soul from the
sword: my only one from the hand of the
dog: and my lownes from the horns of the
unlcoru." Ibid, 30, 22.)
We pray the Queen of Martyrs, the COM
fort of the afflicted, the help of Christians,
the Virgin who, in union with her Divine
Son, crushed the head of the poisonous
serpent under her immaculate foot, and
who alone bath destroyed all heresies
throug hout the world that with that divine
grace OF which she is mother, you may be
granted to proclaim the fulfilment of the
=. of that same great prophecy
All the ends of the earth shall remember