The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-08-27

another faculty besides that of nero action
faculty still more divine, for you perceive
+ what a limited field our actions are confined.
1t does not require an army to arrest me, {
close my lips: single soldier could do that
Bot, to protect my words, and the truth that
in them. God has given me q power that ca
resist all the empires of the world. Whe
Jesus Christ was seizsd, one of his follower
drew his sword. but our Lord said to him
Unhappy man! tbinkest thou could not cal
upon my Father and he would send me NOR
than twelve legions of angels to defend me
Pat up thy swork into it's scsbbard: the tim'
| Of action is past-tbe time to suffer has ar
rved' To suffer! Al here is another sor
of power for man herein is his true strength
and dignity. If strength and dignity consisted
indeed and you would not even be here to day
were these foundations laid only in actions
Even though these walls were bnilt by the
strong and active hands of your an cestors, alb
| believe me when tell you. their construc tion
r.qnired much more of suffering, of patience,
OF painful endurance, than of mere movement
and activity.
The Apostles did not simply open their lips
and raise their hands to draw blessings upon
your forefathers; but they planted themselves.
motionless and firm as a rock, in the way of
the emperors and of the executioners, before
whom they bowed their heads and said.
" Strike! Whatever h ave hitherto expressed
~ my words or my acts, will now pronounce
more forci6ly by my patience and silent en-
durance' Up to this moment / have done
nothing but act and speak; now become
dumb, and enter into the possession of that
irresistible power which arises from the tom
of generous self-immolation I"
Thus the third element of human greatness is
PATIENCE,
that quality which, when speaking of the
third dimension of space, and the third dimen-
sion of God, we call longanimity "-longus
dninus. Furthermore, by an admirable logic,
even ordinary speech expresses unconsciously
by these three words-udth, height and Tonga
nimity-the elements which go to make up the
greatness of our actions, the true greatness of
vnn 10
makes the third element of greatness of char
acter.
This is why God places so high a value upon
ell ction-that gift 80 rare, although so COM
mon common, because we fail to recognize
therein anything more than an ordinary event;
rare and precious because there be souls who
recognize it for W hat it is, souls who have lis
tened to the words of St Paul: " Gloriamur in
tr'6u'ahon'bus scientes quod tribulatio patentiam
operatur pdtieRtia auen, prob1tionem probato zero
spen', spes autena non confundit." 1--WE glory in
rlbulation, knowing that trlbulation worketh
patience, and patience trial, and trial hope,
aud hope confoundeth not because it is a
virtue that comes from God. For God sustans
The man who suffers for Justice sake. God
untur propter justitam." blessed are they who
suffer persecution for justice sake" True
enough, God is with you whenever you are |
1oing something active, for justice sake, but |
whenever yon are suferinS something for JUS |
ice sake. Whilst the Apostle speaks, God is |
IN his lips and in his heart: when he dies upon
he scatfold God is in each drop of his blood
+ hich be blesses and converts into germs of |
'irtue and of liberty for his Church.
We see, my dear brethren that adversely is
los thing to be assumed at will here below.
rod permits certain events to happen for the
ote purpose of creating, here aud there, ire
nendous calamites, and few men visa
'nough to esteem their value. IL is as though
le considered only the means to make Us weep.
lie destroys empires and builds up Others not
or the reason that you would imagine but to
cause tears, and that with the tears martyrs
nay come-men of patience and of endurance,
Who develop that grand characteristic of ad.
'ersIty which, as Bossuet says, converts it into
finished reality. l cannot recall the precise
passage, but as it is treasured up in your mem
rles, there is no need for me to quote it
Thus the grandeur of our actions consists in
triple dimension width, height or elev alton,
ud longan!mity or long suffering.
But, gentlemen. are these really Christian
-irtuesf Are they not, rather, the distinctive
irt1es OF the non Christian world I We're to
peak to voR of humility, of chastity, of charity,
would hen certainly be speaking of Christian
irtnes: but greatness of character! Was not
hat the distinctive attribute of the Scipios,
be Brutuses, the Aristdes, the Niltiades Is it
ot that which gives the charm to the history
f ancient Greece and Romef Why, then, do
ell You that greatness of character is, it
fere, the type aud the strict obligation of the
'hrstisn
1t is true, gentlemen, the pegars did know
omething of greatne IS of character. Bat they
id not know anything of humility, chastity,
hariry - these virtues were reserved for
did know, however, g-n-
rosity, elevation, patience, and this is by
nr education is based upon their example
onbiued with that OF the Saints Is is not
imply tue enjoyment of the beauties of classic
literature that leads your children as it former
? led onrselves. to plunge so deeply into those
marvellous studies; it ia rather that we may,
While Studying the great men of Plutarcb, find
ned els which form, in some sort, tho vestibule
f Christianity.
Just as God made the Jewish people to be
he depostaties of the Divine word so he made
he Greeks and Romans, our other ancestors, to
70 the boundary of the Christian iugdom
md, with their ever shining greatness OF
haracter, to DO like vestibule, passing
hrOuGh which in our youthful days we could
prepare ourselves, though in a lower degree for
,irtues of supernatural order. Bnt it is none
he loss q dilemma that greatness of character
hould be necessity to q Christian, since the
'aRans of antiquity also knew how to make of
an immortal crown of glory. In order to solve
his difficulty, then, must examine aud see if
ha frFln hat rf Oh