The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-06
ST. STEPHENS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Sermon by the Rev. Father McCready-
The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin.
High mass was said at st. Stephens church yes.
terday morning by the Rev. Father Hekie After
the first gospel the Rev. Father McCready preached
on the maternity Of the Blessed Virgin.
The Church sets apart many festivals in honor OF
the mother of God. But so afrectionately il Mary
enshrned in the hearts of the faithful that there is
an especial honor demanded for her, and Catholic
devotion chooses
THE FAIREST MONTH IN THE YEAR
as that in which series OF the sweetest prayers
should invoke her intercession. This month, which
the Church dedicates for fuller expression of the
respect and generation felt by her children for the
mother of her holy spouse, is emblematic in its
bright skies Of the unsullied purity of Marys sin
less SOUL and gurative In its occasional showers OF
the plentiful blessings showered down on her who
was full OF grace The flowers, springing forth at
Natures bidding to meet the genial sun that had
warmed them into new life, are a lively represen-
tation Of her who, the 'ily of Israel" the rose
bud of Jericho" arose singly and alone from the
cold grasp Of the primeval stain to thank the God
who "had regard to the humility of His handmade
In this month pure souls, children of the Church.
loved ones Of Mary, weave chaplets Of flowers and
bring them as meet offerings to the heavenly
queen-as u tribute to
THE QUEEN OF MAY.
All over IHe WOTlu, Ill VAST C0JncdfaI as well az
rustic chapel, during this sweet month pens rise
unchecked from grateful lips and pure hearts to the
Mother OF Love, to Gods own mother and ours
What, then, II may be asked Is the foundation OF
all this honor and devotion to the Virgin We an
swer that 1t all depends on the one sole, all-sui
Client basis of the divine maternity. for the plain,
simple reason that Mary is the mother of God.
This is, indeed the grand source from which all
those feasts OF devotion radiate-the fountain from
which they all flow. II IL strange that Catholics
fall into such palpable errors on this point. They
would not deny, II asked that Mary is the mother
Of Cod but they eagerly deny the consequences OF
faithful subjects OF the King OF Heaven, but they
fuse to
"HoNOR HER WHOM THE KING HoNoRErHu
On this subject the humblest Catholic peasant
would seem to be a deeper theOl0gian than the
most enlightened Protestant divine. The Protest
ant theory seeks to honor God and to exclude any
honor to the Virgin because 1t would detract from
the honor to God. But the Scrlbes and Pharisees
traduced the Son of God In this sort Of zeal,
the Jews crucifed the Son Of God apparently with
the same sort of zeal and Saul prosecuted the early
Christians in a similar spirit The truth ia, the
more we honor the creature the more we honor the
Creator. Man ia but finite whereas God liz eternal
and made the creature to His own image and
likeness"
THE BOND OF MATERNITY
between Jesus and Mary cannot be destroyed
DishOnor the mother and you dishOnOr the Son. The
angel declared Mary to be fu Of grace and after
heart, Behold, all generations shall call me
blessed" 1t needs but reelection to see plainly
that the mother OF God should be worshipped
with all worship except the supreme worship due
to God alone. The Catholic doctrine NAV be summed
up in brief. Az In the case of ordinary mothers,
Mary Is the mother Of the person born OF her; but
that person is the second person Of the holy and
adorable Trinity and therefore God, consequently
Mary is the mother OF God. The laws OF God are
uniform. He does not make one law for us and
another for Himself He has made ii law or our
nature and has inculcated 1t by special command
ment to
HONOR OUR PARENTS,
and so far from being displeased with any one for
honoring them we consider that the honor given
to our parents rebounds In honor to ourselves. To
this rule OF our nature, to this law natural to the
human heart, our divine Lord is no exception. SO
far, them from being displeased with the homage
which we pay this mother, she Is rather pleased
bounds to the Virgins power; only know that 1t
Is not infinite. But we also know and believe that
she who induced her Son to work His first miracle
at the marriage feast OF Cana, that she TO whom
THAT SON WAS SUBJECT,
in their humble home still exerts' an influence
In whose behalf she may be asked to supplicate
Him. And the tender heart OF Jesus will not per-
NIT Him to turn deaf ear to that fond mothers
prayer whose devotedness to Him In the chd's
years OF His mortal life, whose unobtrusve antici-
patton of His every want and wish In the quiet
united sacrifice with His, were fully known and ap-
preciated only by Him and the other persons Of the
Godhead Let us then again thank our loving Lord
for giving us such mother. Let us evince our love
for her by initiating those virtues by which she
merited to become the mother OF God, particularly
soul, and her abandonment TO the will of God.
Thus we shall merit her protecting care In time,
and have q holy confidence OF enjoying with our
blessed mother one of the many mansions OF our
Heavenly Father throughout eternity.