The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-02-04

tiful instincts toward religion, and thei
gropipg after truth, are poisoned in thu
atmosphere, and the common mind is dc
frauded of it's common senee to ste tba
truth must be somew here, that an answer
to their yearnings must be had under the
| sun, and Q rest has to be found in thil
warfare upon earth, OF else-everlastiDf
woel 80 Truth, thou has made our heart
for thee, and they cannot rest till they
| repOse in thee!" This is the cry of oul
wandering brethren-this the yearniDg o
their soul, naturally Christian, naturally
religious and devout. And to them it is,
and to this beautiful cry, 80 touching in
the ear of God, that an answer ls given, not
W preachers whom God has appointed
not by teachers of the old Gospel, but by
tongues and by lips, of which He hath said:
"Their throat is an open sepulchIe; with
their tongues they have cheated; the
poison of asps is under their lips. De-
struction and unhappiness are in their
ways; and the way of peace they have not
known"
Can Truth keep silence and let the bar
barians talk Z Our readers know what we
mean by Truth. Christ hath told us:
am the Truth" Can His Heart refrain and
His tongue keep silence Z The eyes of the
wise old philosopher filed with tears aud
his breast heaved with emotion, when an
empty talker robbed him of his disciples.
So our Lord has had to weep more than
once, and His Heart pcore than once has
beaten fast for us out of love and out of
desire: "Oh, how am I Strengthened" he
exclaimed, "until my baptism be accom-
pished." He came to cast fire on the earth,
and He yearns only to have it kindled. He
chose Apostles and set them to 60 and bring
forth fruit, and fruit which should remain.
He sanctifed Himself that His little ones
he k,o ID in, H. ofr,
Himself up for us, to redeem US from all
iniquity, and purify for Himself an accept
able people, a pursuer of good works. Will
His Heart admit of His keeping silence, of
His holding His peace, now, in circum
stances such as beset US, when there is, as
the Wise Man says, not only a time to
keep silence, but also time to speak not
only a time of peace, bat also time of
war Z"
We do not indeed mistake the character
of Our Lord, who is the Truth, if we say
that He loved silence and sought retire.
ment. He lived during thirty years in the
little house at Nazareth, and then when His
time was come to shine forth during three
years, it was only to the house of Israel. "I
am not sent except to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel" And in that house He
spoke chiefly by actions " He began to do
and to teach" "He will not cry" said
Isaias describing Him, "nor will His voice
% neAru III Lbe streeGs ne snail not Dc SAD
nor troublesome" He is sweet and mild,
reaching from end to end nightly, dispos.
ing all things sweetly. His spirit "one
and manifold +" is "subtle, agile, active,
sweet" Though in Him all things are
made and subsist, yet nothing comes into
collision with HIM. He is irresietibly sweet.
"While one in Himself He can do all things;
while remaining in Himself the same, He
maketh all things new; And through nations
conveyeth Himself into holy souls, making
them frie ids of God" This is His personal
character. Without doubt He is silent
Truth, a " hidden God"
But since a voice must be heard on the
housetops aud in the streets, and He resides
silently in the Tabernacle all the while,
does it not seem that He is making loom
for US, aud inviting us to speak in His be-
half, and lend HIM our voice? st. John
the Baptist vas the first to do so {: am
the voice." he said 8" of one crying in the
desert" And we know what Oar Lord
thought of him. "Amen, l say to you,
risen a greater than John the Baptist"
Then the Apostles were the next to lend
their voices "Their sound hath gone
forth into all the earth and their words
uuto to the end of the world" And what
did Our Lord say to them "You shall
sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel" Lastly, His preachers
and His teachers will be His voice unto
the end of time-and "they who guide
others to justice shall chine like stars for all
eternity"
The question which interests US at pres
ent is, shall we lend this voice of ours
Will we speak ont 2 judging it a shame to
keep silence, when so many are ranged
against Christ and His Church, when the
Gentiles rage, and barbarians devise vain
and evil things.
First of all, there is the voice of our
actions, which speaks most eloquently OF
Him. He cOvets them, saying: $50 let
your light shine before men, that they may
see your good works, aud glorify your
Father "Iu this shall all men know that
you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another"
In the second place, there is the voice OF
our prayer. Pray for one another, that
you may be saved..' says st. James. Our
Lord bids us to pray always. He points
to the harvest which is always ripe and
He asks us can we not pray one hour with
Hin. Less than this required by the Apos-
tleship of Prayer. Let only the works you
do, and the words you say, and the thoughts
you think, be offered up with an intention