The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-31
Morning Star and Catholic messenger.
0pIEANs. SUNDAY. MARCH 81. le'2.
RASTER.

An.,,;.i Alleluia! Alleluia
.1Christ our Passover is sacrificed, and
ua riseth from the dead to die no more
neath no more shall have dominion over
Him. If He had not risen our Fai,n were
vain. But He has really risen, and shown
Himself alive to His disciples by many ar
guments, speaking to them of the Kingdom
Therefore, let us sing Alleluias to our
God who stitch upon the throne, to he
Pascbal Lamb by whose precious blood our
souls are sprinkled, and preserved from tho
destroying angel.
This is The great Psschal Solemnity for
which the entire Lent was but prepare
ton. This is the glorious sun of Christian
festivals around Which the others revolve.
This is the Festival of festivals, the Soleth-
nifty of solemnities, the Glory of the years,
the Ornament of the months, the Splendor
of the days, the Beauty of the hours.
"This is the day which the Lord hath
made: come, let us exult and rejoice there
inl"
In this Antiphon, so oft repeated during
the Paschal solemnities, the Church invites
her children to indulge in transports of
holy Joy for the glorious Resurrection of
her Divine Spouse, and in the countless
Alleluias Of the Paschal tide che expresses
the jubilation of her heart.
The MYSTERY Of the Resurrection is the
demonstration of her faith, the foundation
of the Rock of ages npon which she re-
poses. Against that Rock the pillows and
storms of nearly two thousand years have
ragged in vain. Against that Rock the gates
of hell will never prevail for He, by whom
death and hell were overcome, has planted
upon it, with His own right hand, His
''chosen Vine," whose branches shall over
spread the world and bring forth fruit
which shall remain until the contamination
of time.
This, then, is a day of pure, upadulter-
ated joy to the Spouse of Christ-a day on
which all her children should rejoice with
her from their whole hearts.
How different from the mystery Of His
Birth is that of His Resurrection At
Christmas, we rejoiced, it is true, and great
joy was announced to all people, because q
Saviour, Christ the Lord, was born for US
in the city of David. But whilst we rejoice
ut our own deliverance, We could not be
insensible to the humiliations of our most
loving Redeemer.
The wretched stable, the narrow crib,
the poor swaddling- clothes, the piercing
cold, the suffering members of our Infant
KinR-the amazing humiliation with which
He was almost annihilated for the love of
us, must fill our hearts with confusion and
sorrow, and draw forth tears Of compassion
in the midst of all our Joy.
But on Easter Day all is exultation, and
triumph, and glory for the Crucified Jesus.
The bitterness of death is past; the hu-
miliations of mortality exist no longer.
The great work for which he was sent by
are fulfilled, the type has been succeeded
by the reality, the shadow by the aubstan ce
All is contaminated All the malice o.
His enemies, all the agony of His sufferings
all the measure of His excessive love!
He who was subject to the law of mortal
ity, has now risen an Immortal God. He
who expired as o slave, is now exalted as q
glorious King. He who died as a malefac-
tor, ascends from the tomb, by the majesty
of His own power, as the Great Prince OF
parated from sinners, made higher than the
heavens" He who humbled Himself unto
death, is lifted up to life everlasting, and
receives Name that is above all other
names-a Name SO holy, SO terrible, and 90
sublime, that it excites not only the pro-
found veneration of earth and heaven, but
even the very deepest caverns of hell are
shaken with terror at its sound.
What was mortal has put on Immortality,
what was coIruptible has been clothed with
interruption, and what was sown in weak
ness has sprung up in glory. "The Lord
ty. The Lord hath put on strength, and
girded Himself" with might to execute
judgment on the world, to cast forth I" the
Prince of the world" and, thenceforth,
"Death is swallowed up in victory"
Alleluia Alieluia Alleluia!
o, Death, where is thy sting7 Alleluia
o, Grave, where is thy victorys Alleluia !!
Thy fatal sting is taken away thy victory
is over, for Life, by dying, has triumpheGi
over thee, and the Lord las really risen."
Holy and fervent souls, who come to en-
balm the precious Body of Jesus in the
tomb where it has been laid You seek it
in vain. Your costly and odorous upguents
are not necessary for this Gloritied Body.
1t has been embalmed in Immortality
"You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was
cruci6ed." An angel from heaven will pro-
claim to you:
He is risen! He Is not here"
You come in search Of the 1owTy, humble
Jesus, who lived in obscurity with His
poor parents, Mary and Joseph, at Nazareth
who was rejected and condemned by His
countrymen, and cruci6ed as a malefactor.
He is risen! He is not here!r
His Eternal Father has fulfilled what was !
spoken by his prophet, and has mot aban
doned His soul in hell, nor suffered His
Holy One to see corruption." The earth is
shaken, and the stone is rolled away from
the monument: hell trembles to its centre