The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-03

| sion is easily drawn-nothinR 10 sweeter for
me than TO speak Of Pins *. o,1Sina bsnS'TG. n;s
| life which was remarkable in every respect.
This portrsiture, however, would require
more skillful pen than mine; more time 100
would be necessary, than that which has pet q
allotted to me. OnIy two or three days since
did receive the exceedingly courteous ana
cordial invitation extended to me by the Clergy
md the lay Catholics of Mobile.
| You will readily undeIs and that II, on the
one hand, felt honored, on the other e1-
perenced great apprehension; aud II mao the
courage Of endeavoring to snrmount my hcsl-
| tations it was partly because the ttonKht pre-
scented itself tha, you would be kindly indui-
! gent and also on account of the pleasure which
u child experiences in speaking OF a dearly
beloved father.
However, even under such circumstances
cannot forget the saying of st. Bernard. He
| loved the B essed Virgin tenderiS, AS all know.
| In one of hi, sermors there is to be found u
passaE Ee of such nature AS to discoursse every
one, perhaps, but "A layman especially with
| an ex xtraordinaTy etfusion of love he apostr@-
| phzes the blessed Virgin, and be tells her
! that his greetest happiness il TO speak of her
but he hnstens to add TINT he tremblet at the
| same time, for he il overwhelmed OF the
| thought OF her grandeur. How, then, could
| he speak wogthly of her
My meaning is easily understood. Doubtless
| Plus IN is not Yet placed upon our affairs, and
no one has the pretension to anticipate the
| Judgment of tho Church Supposlpg even,
| that the hope which is implanted in the hearts
of all Catholics should one day be reahzod, We
|
rs the Blessed Virgin. Divine maternity gives
Mary distinctive pre- ennence in Heaven-
| che is Queen of angels and OF men. therefore
| il is more difficult to speak OF her grandenrs
than of the grandeur Of any other saint. All
| this is true. Still the language OF ST. BERNARD
may we'll discourage US. II that great doctor
| feared to speak of the Blessed Virgin, because
he feared that he might speak Of her in an un-
worthy manner, IL will not To astonishing If
approach my subject with Awe. 1t will not be
surprising II q man who is mere stammerer
| al ia ,f dart 1naG
| difficult, doubtless, than would be panegyrio
of the Mother Of God; nevertheless, the pane
gyrio of Plus tx offers difficulties W hich are of
such q nature as to appal even a consu mn mate
writer. Who, forsooth, can speak wortaily Of
| o poutiioate which, by it's duration as we'll as
as by lis lustre, will fill q special page in his
| toryf !
1t is not to be expected that should even
enumerate the great events whose fnltillment
the reign of Plus TX has witnessed. 1t cannot
be asked that should particuarlze the detail
| of that grand career which has astonished the
| universe. Besides, it would be time lost; the
present generation are well acquainted with
the principal events Of this reign, unparalleled
In history and the memory of 30 much gran
| deur was 80 pdeibly stamped upon the recol-
leotiors of all, that a universal outburst I
regrets was heard at the reception Of the
tidings " Tie Pope is no more!'
Never, as it has already been remarked,
never has the death of q man produced suoh a
| sensation. do not speak of the Sacrifice on
Mount Calvary. He who died upon tho orcss
common to the death of Plus IN and to that of
| the Redeemer, whom he represented on earth,
| have been noticed before. Our Divine Ss-
viour was loaded with chains the hands OF
| Plus ]X were not mauacled. it Is true in the
literal sense of the word but in reality, did o
not die a prisonerf
! The Saviour of mer was subjected to every
description of outrages, especially throughout
| the three years of his public life. What was
| the fate reserved for our Pontih during nearly
thirty-two years
We might push the parallel further, never
| forgetting, however, that on the one side it is
| o question Of q Goldman, whilst on the other
| We refer to q simple mortal however great
this last may be. the infinite will always sepa-
| rate the one from the other. After having laid
down this principle, which will be denied by
no one, let us continue the comparison already
| instituted.
| The Divine cruoified One, before dying on
Calvary, had said: "And l, if be lifted up from
] the earth, will draw all things to myselfo The
| event proved the truth of the words of the
| Saviour the pagan world saw its idols crumble
to dust in presence of a oross. Perhaps 8 smi
lar miracle will not occur to the same extent
at tho present time, but we may reverthe eless
remark certain analogy. Plus lA breathes
his last all of sndden the universe il at
tracted nnto him. What age has ever witness
ed such admiration tor mani What country
has over beheld such an attraction towards q
tomb as yet hardly closed
This, our Nineteenth Century, has been the
witness ard the victim of great number of
intellt and moral alterations; it must,
, however be admitted, with rapturous graft
tude, this century has not lost the perception
of human dignity. One man, at east, bRs
, been found able, by his language and by his
actions, to evoke suoh perception, which might
have been considered extinct.
3 Here it is that We behold the salutary inhu-
] enoe which the great Pontif has brought to
bear upon the age in which he lived. He has
9 arrested or, at least, lessened the progress oi
o that evil which undermines modern societies
What is the cause of this maladyf 1t is ra
tionalSn which, in it's turn, is the con seq c'
l. of that which is called the en.ancipatio" Of th
}. human mind. The principle of authority ii
:. looked upon in the light of q chimera.
:, "The middle ages may have adopted It,,
cries out the freethinker, "but We are NJ
Ion ger 3 people in childhood the shadows o
Ignorance and superstition have been dispelled
everything, we'll in the religions order aS il
e the civil order, as in the social order. as in tn
j. moral and intellectual orders. every thing N us
10 be submitted to the tribunal of reason au
r nothing can be approved. until the decision c
re that supreme judge be made known"
Such is the inevitable conclusion to who
as modern rationalism is fatally driven ; and tn
e, conclusion is logical, from the moment that til