The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-04-01
Easter Day.

head OF Truth, although he lveo ana oloo
without tasting of the saving waters He
realized, however, as all Christians should do,
that Easter Sunday is the "dsy of days,' when
the tremendous mystery which had been fore
told for four thousand years, was really accom-
plished, and man regained, in part, the price,
less treasures of his Eden home.
On that day, be saw himself again invested
with the heirsbip of the children of God, and
assured of glorious passport into the sipg-
dom Of eternal blessedness. Although an exile,
he was no longer expatriated from his native
| land, but might hope to enter there whenever
death should bring the Summons to depart. No
wonder. then, that Keble should exclsim-
"Thou art the sun of other days
They shine by giving back thy rays'
The observance of the frat day of the week
as q day of rest, in commemoration of the
Lords Resurrection. is q sublime proof of the
power and mission of the Catholic Church.
She was the kingdom established by the
risen King, and hence it seemed to her just
tribute to celebrate, by q perpetually recurring
festival, the mystery of His Omnipotence and
Love. Hence she ordained the setting aside
of the Sabbath of the jews, which had been
observed for four thousand years, and institu-
ted in it's place the Sabbath of the Christians,
until the end of time.
There is no authority for this change in the
inspired writings. The Bible is not our teacher
in this lesson of simple gratitude and love.
The Church, to whom alone was given the
divine commission to teach all nations. CON-
meuced ber sublime task by proclaiming the
first day of the week as the one 10 be especially
consecrated to tho worship Of God and stand
iug, ~ it were, by the open grave Of ber risen
Lord, she epjoined upon her children the Oh
servance of this duty as the fultiiment of the
great commandment given upon the mountain
of Sinai.
For nearly nineteen hundred years the Chris
tian world has silently acquiesced in this de-
cree, thus unconsciously paying their tribute
of obedience to her who is the teacher of
tions, and their homage of grateful worship to
Him who crowned His spouse with the glory
of His resurrection.
:. Easter day, then, we'll every Sunday in
the year, is proof that the Church remembers
her divi ne com mission, and having by this one
lesson taught the nations the sublime fact of
the Resurrection, she still continues to teach
the priceless benefits that result therefrom,
and to. day, throughout the Christian world,
she repeats the words of the angel: "Wby
seek ye the living among the dead He is not
here, but is risen"
If we could hear, as do the spiri:s of the
seen world, this wondrous canticle of joy as It
rises up from every quarter of the globe from
every isle of ocean and every spot of earth,
how We would realize the my stery which makes
this day of days so dear to mao, so glorious
to God,
There is still another light in which we must
view this Easter Day-ths best Sunday of the
year-sIz: as a figure of our eternal recon-
peDss, the vision of the beautiful life of Para
dice. All Borrow has ceased, all lamentations
are over, all notifications are laid aside, and
tie Cb urch, in bridal robes and bridal flowers,
'.j0ice< With her risen love, her risen Lord.
WEils, TO make the lesson more com mplete, 81 Q
Ss's apart q mysterious period of fifty days,
which, following Easter, resounds with can
( Icies of praise and prefguTes the long, the
( ct TEE j9ys of our eternal Sabbath.
Look over the wide world for any CONNIE
Inoration that can compare in simple beauty
and sublime maguiEcence with this "day oi
daysw
| In ancient times the Sabbatical year of the
Jews-the seventh year, in which even the
ground rested from it's labors and tre sew.
enth Sabbatical year-or the fftieth year OF
Jublee-were but an imperfect figure of this
great Day of rest and eternal rejoicing.
The Roman triumphs, where the corqueror
saw before him the trophies he had taken and
the captives he had made, while q whole peo-
pie praised his deeds and proclaimed his fame,
were Pitiable representations of this eternal
triumph which sees all tribes and tongues and
nations in its train, and which secures laurel
vFaRth for hot =, "a
immortal victory.
The Church, the living voice of God, is she
who keeps alive on earth the memory of these
great things; aud if the world, in the person
of Danton, has not succeeded in abolisbing the
casters of the week, and the one great Easter
of the year, it is because the Catholic Church
watches over the trust contided to her. and
perpetuates in the hearts and lives of men, the
sublime lesson she first taught them at the
Sepulchre of her King.