The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-03


stinct, feelings or faculties. To know what
charity is, we must mediate not only on The
broadcast and deepest but the purest, highest,
defining words, " God is love-" We must raise
our souls and intellect to the contemplation OF
the divine attribute, so powerfully and entirely
SO brief is immense, since it sums up the con-
ception of the divinity peculiar to Christlani-
ty. 1t lifts MS, at once, to the source OF
charity, enables us to understand that it is
dffnsively infinite and Observation-Disclosures
to all alike, flows out, beyond self, without
rem der a return, and, since it's only source is
God, enters and fills our hearts by His special
and soliciting grace, mades us feel that we are
only His willing and grateful agents and in
struments; and inspires us to regard every
US, and as returning through the temporal
object of our charity unto God again.
If it were possible to divide religion into
tho human and divine, 1 would say that faith,
aspiring to rise by the help of grace, from tb Q
natural to the heavenly, is human, since God
does not believe, but knows; and that
Charity, descending from above to meet the
human aspiration, rs divine, since it is of the
nature of an essential attribute of God, while
also it's fountain head is the sacred heart of
Jesus himself.
| The advent of this fulness of charity in re-
spect to human history was, therefore, the
| birth of the Lord, and it's complete revelation
His death on the cross that supreme act of
charity SO immeasurabIy great and infinitelv
mercifnl.
From Calvary, from the cruel wounds and
mental agony there suffered for us, it has
flowed, and continueth to flow, in exbaustless
and ever multiplying streams, and SO will flow
on until it spreads itself over the whole earth,
saturates every soul and rules mankind,
BY that death the dim eyes of the Apostles
expansive nature of the work they had been
divinely appointed to accomplish. Learning
at last the vastness of measure set forth in the
precePt That ye love one another love
To II
and reduce it to this new principle.
Having thus far defined Charity and it's
origin, the lecturer entered upon a lengthy ex
position of its development and dissemination
in the Missions-the changes produced in man
ners, customs and laws-the mitigation of tho
horrors of war-the abolition of slavery-the
of Monasteries and Religious
Orders-tLe creation of numbcrless charitable
societies, and institutions for gratuitously as.
ssting and educating the poor, during the
Roman Empire and feudal system, etc.. etc.
Then, after taking rapid view of the effects
of the suppression of the Religious orders, the
spoliation of the Church at the time of tho So
called Reformation, and during the succeeding
and the development of cherity in
the present century, he concluded as follows
people, the rabid adversaries of the Faith, or
the jealous enmity of governments despoiIed
the disciples and servants of charity of vast
quantities of property patiently accumulated
from the pennies cheerfully contributed by
poverty itself or from the munificent dona-
lions of wellth. In vain have kings or dema-
gogues -contiscated and wasted monasteries
and converts, hospitals and colleges, OF
broken up missions and appropriated to
the purposes .',.a Of personal amhition or pr-
poor. Irrepressible and ever-hopefal, Charity,
as soon as the robbers hand was withdrawn
resumed her labors to repair the loss and pro-
vide for her desolate clients. On all sides
and institutions similar to those
SO ruthlessly swept away. have sprung up,
through the sacrifices and cooperation Of the
laity, under the guidance and agency of holy
prlesthoods, brotherbOods and sisterh hoods |
So Will 1T ever be, no matter what perse- |
cutors or despoers interrupt or plumber |
charity, she will recommence and 60 on
aga in and again, building her schools and |
asylums, organizing and moving her devoted
companies and armies of succorers; softening
manners genializing society, fraternizing peo-
pies, eqnalizing rights. relieving public and
private distress and enlargino liberty while
opposing tho spread of RIGHTEOUSNESS. the
abuses of power and the usurpations of ambi-
ton. This is the civilization she is commits
onward and upward till she has provided a
remedy for every social evil, a shelter from
every misfortune and wiped the tears from
every face.
With commiserating soul and uutiripr stems
she will ever follow the bleeding feet of her
thorn crowned, side pierced and lacerated Lord
and master, whose heart knows only the lows
and sorrows of inefiable love- Faithfully has
she heretofore trod, and ceaselessly will she
hereafter pursue the path of Him who alone is
God, and whom she knows to be God by an in
fallible mark. He is love; for with all the
exuberance of imagination displayed by the
heathen in the invention of various and innu-
nerable idols, their human minds never did OF
could invent Il God with the attribute of ia
'herly love a God interdicting himself every
motive to the exercise of His transcendent
power, except the designs of His infinite love
l God who, though the lghtnings were ready
% obey Him. made Himself the easy and con-
'enting victim of His cruciiiers a God whose
miracles were no vainglorius display, no grand
of power, but every one of them
IN act of charity.
THE VACANT SEE OF BALTIMoRE.-Recard-
ng the question, which now possesses great
interest to all Catholics, as to who is to be the
successor of the late Archbishop Spalding, the
New York Freeman says
In regard to who is to be next Archbishop
,he ultimate decision rests, of course, with tile
see or Rome. Those most deeply concerned
the SutfraunD RiSln,,s Of 4