The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-10-15
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY MORNING OCTOBER Is, 1876.

Cato, of Scipio, of an Aristides but it is for
earth, for self. 1t is not the virtue that hkens
us TO God.
But when We find man who says: do not
pretend to be goodness itself; but l feel within
myself powerful longing to give back some
he goes along the path of life seeking to do
good to every human being al the image,
representative Of his God. And then, and only
then, We will have a ST. Vincent de Paul, q
man without q selfish moment during that long
life of eighty years.
Self-sacrifioe is also a source Of power. St.
Paul, the genius of Christianity, tells US that
If a grain of wheat falls upon the earth and re-
mains, 1t will be alone aud useless but if it
| sinks into the ground and dies, goes out of it.
self, then it becomes a powerful, useful, pro-
duotive.
The same had been said before by his Mas
ter: "Wnen shall have been lifted up from
the earth, will draw all to me-" This is the
great picture of annihilation hanging on the
cross between heaven and earth, to each of
which He belonged, Invested of clothes, bruised
crushed and bleeding. This dying of God
was life to all of us.
The Rages of Christianity understood this
well, for when the blood of Christians was
poured forth like water on the earth; when
they were butchered IN the arena. drowned in
the sea, tortured at the Judgment seat, or lay
dying in dungeons-tbe fathers tell us that that
blood, those suterings, were not lost 1t fer.
tlllzed Pagan world it brought forth Christ
ians. The holy fathers carry ont the figure
still further ; in order to explain the powerful
cause of the most difficult of virtues they call
the blood of Our God the wine that produces
virgins.
Tnus selfsscIiice is great and noble is
worthy of admiration, because 1T makes us
more like God ills powerful since it enables
man to produce good fruit.
Ladies and gentlemen, you came to hear q
temperance lecture, and 1 have been speaking
Of self-denial and sacrifice, and perhaps you do
not see the connection between sacrifice and
an association of reformed drunkards. 1t is
not thoF r. III haya fn dafann thia avanin nc
though every man who has been reformed is a
hero, and is, therefore, worthy of all honor
What were the heroes of romancef Men who
went about to redress wrongs. rescue captives,
protect the defenceless The man who has
overcome the demon of drink has done more
than ever romantic hero did. Does it cost
nothing to meet friends in the social circle, to
see all others enjoy themselves, while he re-
nains as nbstemious as q hermitf In the heat of
summer, dropping from the labor, difficulty or
tnGiousuess OF his employment. to know where
to bud partial relief yet be refrainsf In the
cold OF winter. often wet by rain, he knows
what would ~ar1' and couIfort him, but he en-
dnres without complaint, without murmur. |
The warrior, tie pioneer, the man who saves
The life property of another, endures from
time to time, but he has moments of rest he
can lay down bis arms aud say, l have done
my work For the total abstainer the trial is |
OF every day, every instant, and that for years,
for life.
But it is not of those who have been ned
l come to speak tonight. The Master had said :
l will draw all to me-" That crushing out of
Gods life was the cause of all our strength and
also the example we had to follow. Added to
this comes His express command: Renounce
myself" He has told his priests You shall
live alone, in order that yon may be able to
sacrifice yourselves at every moment and for
ALL"
He told the daughters of His Church: "When
draw you to myself it will be to give you
strength to forget homes and family, in order
to pray for the forgetful, tend the suffering,
md viVNnO ecu nUaFU
What we're the Crusadersf Men who gave up
property and life for the sake of visiting the
place where the Lesson OF self-sacrifce had
been taught.
What we're the orders of mercy for the re-
lemption of captives Men who sacrificed the
oys of life in order that they might unbind the
chains of the slave.
What is Sister of Charity Is it not self
sacrifice always, everywhere; whether near the
,ouch of the dying, visiting the poor, raising
he weak and errlng, or teaching the little
Dnes hOw to love their God
These movements of Christianity were
grand and noble; they were powerful and
fruitful, well worthy of admiration and praIee,
besides they each performed the work assigned
% thetp.
Oae of the great movements of the present
lay is to crush out the plague of intemperance,
and the men who began the movement IN J
ierstoOd that the work bad TO be done in the
ame old way, by f.denisl aud devotedness. .
It was the brave who Sought in the crusades. :
10 was the free who ransomed the slave. IL Is .
,he pure that raise the falleDJ and 1t was the
ight of the temperate to sacrifice even a law
al qualification, in order, by their example,
% strengthen those that were weak. n
Then we must admit that Total Abstinence :
las the marks of true movement of
and therefore is worthy of admi-
alton and praise.
At all times woman has been eager to sp' L
,rove and show honor TO great and noble ac- 4
IONS even those few which on account Of '
weakness che was unable to perform herself, I
md the cause of this is plain, because woman
anne into the world filed with the instinct of
elf-denial and devotedness. She Pities every :
che mourns over every evil, she must
,dmire all that 10 great and good.
One of the greatest PageantS Of the world
res q Roman triumph; the victorious general c