The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-24
REV. A. J. RYAN.
A LENDID LECTURE
PoNTIUs PILATES QUESTION.
From the N. Y. Tablet I

the Cathedral, Mobile, Editor in. Chief of
the New Orleans MORNING STAR, pre-
| viously announced, drew an immense
audience to St. Stephens Church on sun
day evening the 10Th inst.
Every Jet of gas in the vast church was
ablaze. The audience was such q one as
perhaps is only to be seen in St. Stephens
on gala days, and certainly the lecturer,
whose name attracted SO distinguished an
assembly despite the oppressive heat of the
day and evening, proved that fame had not
belied him.
the scene in the trial chamber before Pom
thus Plate, when the earthly governor aud
tho heavenly met face to face, and the for
mer put that question to him. What is
truth Z" Father Ryan began in a tone and
manner that at once rivetted the attention
Of his audience:
Pontus PLATE, Roman Governor of Judea,
did You ever forget that pale face that con-
frnnted you on that early morningf Did
it's expression ever fade from your 10 emory,
or did it not rather haunt you like shadow
to the gravel Did those vibrating tones
ever cease sounding in the silent depths of
your soul, as you stopped forward and
asked, " Art thou king then 7" What
strange question for such man to aek of
the one before him A man fettered and
manacled, a prisoner, stands before this
Roman judge. And the judge leans for
Waru anu asks MIN ART tn0u King I"
prisoner king And the answer comes
back to him-"Thou sayst that am king.
For this was I born, and for this came I
into the world, that should give testimony
to the truth" And Plate asked him, half
wondering and half sarcastically, "What is
truth 7" Was there something in the air of
the prisoner before him, something that
shone out of the pale face and sad eyes and
proclaimed his royalty, that the prisoner
before him was not as other men What
ever it may have been, he waited not for the
answer to his question, but turning on his
heel left the judgment hall, went forth to
the tumultuous crowd that was thronging
outside and said to them: 81 find no cause
in him.
Three o'clock in the afternoon of that
same Good Friday Truth walked up the
hill of Calvary and was nailed to the Cross.
Truth that day was crowned with thorns.
Truth stood living before PLATE in the hall.
4" For this was shown, and for this came
into the world that might give testimony
to the truth" Once before this the Jews
had put similar question to him: Who are
YOU What do you say of yourself7 And
he made answer and did not. hesitate-''
am the truth" There was not a quaver in
his voice, not tremor in the utterancr. He
spoke not as other men. He stood up
boldly and faced the world. He to wered
above the world. He proclaimed that He
Himself was the truth. Aud the priests
and the Pharisees said, Z" This man BIAS
phemetb )" and they took up stones to |
stone him, and he escaped out of their
midst.
The question of Pontius PLATE was not
the question of the Roman Governor only, |
but of all the ancient paganisni. Paganism
spoke in him. 1t was the question asked |
every here and by all classes of men. |
" What is truth 2" The scientist took mp |
matter and asked the dull, cold earth,
What is truth land matter was strangely
silent. The astronomer gazed at the
heavens and the stars and asked them to
t. II him What is truth y And the blue
lips OF heaven opened not but were strangely
and marvelously sealed. All were search
ing, all were cropping after truth. 1t had
been the question of the ages, handed down
from all time.
Jesus Christ alone proclaimed " am the
trnth." No man had ever dared to use such
language before. Such words had never
found ntterance. He was man like other
men, Yet this one saying seemed to lift
him high above the world and above all
time. He stood out from the ranks of hu.
manity, " and he confessed, and he did not
deny. and he confessed that he was the
truth" In this one startling sentence,
Christ alone challenged the world and tow
cred above it with the stature of Cod ~
am the truth" I, myself, my living being,
i, and no other, am the truth.
Father Ryan dwelt with great force and
elo4uence on lnlS polnC, Cne opens Oolu, re-
peated and unwavering confession of Jesus
Christ, that he himself " as the truth, living,
real, palpable.
The Jews heard this and in their blind
fanatic fury they thought that when they
nailed Truth to the Cross, He would die
ont and become as a shadow among men,
as something that had been and no longer
was. They did not see that in mailing ;
Truth to the Cross they nailed it TO mems
hearts. That in mailing the feet of Truth t" {
The wood they drew all men towards it. |
That in browning Truth with thorus, II ey ,
lncQnsciousy carried out. the very words I
hat He had spoken, they set it up for a {
testimony for all men aud for all time. IT, !
vas Truth crowned with thorus and mai ed
% the Cross that was to be witness to !
iraw mems eyes and hearts. And so it was
% be. The life of truth was thus fore Ia
'hadowed for all time. They forgot that t
'oses fade, but thorns and suffering and q
for Justices sake remain, as II i
testimony of truth un'i rhe -ud.
The eloquent lecturer proceeded to dwell
ID Christi faith IN mmseIt He knew what /
he was. He knew the force of His words.
He knew that every little sentence of His F,
would I've treasured and gathered mp and =