The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-03
lEerning Star and Catholic Messenger
May Thoughts.


Tho year, naturally brings to mind the man.
Beautiful Inspirations to which the BLESSED
Virgin has given form and being And her
at the threshold of our medtations, we paus
to wonder and ask why the sublime propheo,
written upon the pages of st. Luke, AL
generations shall call the Blessed" is mean
iusless phrase and an unfulflled prediction tt
all except the devout Catholic lie alone calls
her Blessed and on his lips the lofty words
of prophecy become the simple appellation Of
filiai love, the familiar utteranco of holy faith
All through the Christian world, this season
Is dedicate to the praises of the sinless mo
ther of our Lord-and we ask the scoffer or
noo-Catholic, in what other name could this
month DO more appropriately consecrated.
EInd q woman in ancient modern history
moro noble, moro excellent, moro endowed
with grace or wisdom than the Virgin Mary
and We will re-dedicate this month to her.
More noblef We need but recall the Scrip.
tural words, recording that she " stood by the
cross of Jesus" to understand the strong,
enduring soul of her whose heart was
pierced by sword of sorrow Was it moth
eC's place to stand beside such a scene-to
witness all those fearful tortures-to witness
tho three hours agony-to wait until the end
She was " full Of grace" The bright angel
sent by God announced this truth to man, and
shall one of us dare then y dispute it
Her wisdom her intellectual attainments are
wonderfully unfolded to US in the mysterious
yet sublime canticle which burst from her lips
upon hearing the holy Elizabeth address her
as the mother Of my Lordw Who can read
the inspired words without being filled with
love and veneration for one 80 highly gifted.
Strange folly and bitterness of this century
which seeks to thrust, not only into oblivion,
but almost into disgrace, tho Woman of the
primevai prophecy, whose seed was to crush
the serpent's head the Virgin predestined
from all eternity to be the mother of the Re.
deemer and the intelligent minds of to-day
look on and give no sign, as though ashamed
of her of whom Dante wrote:
oh, Virgin Mother-daughter OF thy Son
Created beings all In lowiiness
Surprising. as in height above them ALL
Ennobier OF thy nature"
Whom CHANGER called in his quaint old Eng
lish
Thou well OF mercy sinful soules cure
Aud of whom Wordsworth SO swcetly sang:
Woman above all women gloIifed
Our tainted natures solitary boast,
And Shelly.
Sweet Benediction In the eternal curse
Yelled glory of this lampless III verse
Among the dead Thou star above the storm"
And even Browning saw with poet eyes:
"a vision in the heart of each
NJ NJ justice, mercy. wisdom. tenderness
10 wfong and pain, and knowledge OF their
And these embodied in a womnn's form
That best transmit them pure as first received
FROM Goa above her, to mankind below"
this last line though written by n Protest.
ant, aFree-thinker, is the true Catholic teach
tng--God indeed above her. since she is His
creature, but all mankind is below, because
God has seen fit so 20 raise her
1t We turn to those artists whose pencils |
owe their inspirations to the Virgin Mary, we
IND the most renowned devoted to her glolics, |
her sorro VS. or her Joys
Murillo painted twenty-five pic lures on the |
Immaculate Conception, each one varying |
troni the others, and yet all glowing with the |
saoifTe beauty of this unfathomabIe mystery
Oh God In regard to the doctrine inculcated
oE tA'S beautiful subject, quote the words
CT Dhs Jameson, a sincere Protestant, who
looked upon tho Faith of Christ only with an
artists eye, and yet whose reasoning is won |
derfuly clear and correct:
FROM the time that the hcresy of Ncsto- |
Mus had been condemned, and that the dig
mtg - ue Virgin as Mother of tho Divinity |
had become APPOINT of doctrine, it was not |
enoagh to advocate her excclling virtue and !
stainless purity as mere human being. 1t
was contended that having been predcstined
'rom the beginning as the Woman through
whom the divine nature was made manifest on
earIn' she must be presumed to be exempt |
1rsm all sin, even from that original taint in
nerited from Adam. 1t was argued that God |
had never suffered His earthly temple to be |
profaned had even promulgated in person,
severe ordinances to preserve its sanctuary |
tuvtolate. How much more to Him was that
temple, that tabernacle built by no human |
hands, in which He had condescended o dwell |
Nothing was impossible to God; it lay,
therefore, in His power to cause His Mother to
come absolutely pure and immaculate into the
World: could any earnest worshiPper of the
Virgin doubt for moment that for one SO
favored ii would not be doncF Such was the
reasoning of our forcfathers; and the prem
Uses granted, who shall call it illogical or
irrevcrent.p
fTt.