The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-16
Tile I.aat DaY.

The Church does not allow her children h
Gin with impunity, she does not permit then
20 mock God without hindrance. last day
comes for sinners even here on earth. A day
when she says TO the sursing waves Of pride
| end disobedienoe " Thus far shalt thou gc
and no further" During forty days Of Lent
| and afty daya Of Easter-time, the Church in.
| vites her children to the performsnoe OF sheil
| religions duties In the name Of the Spouse
she bids them come to the Great Banquet pre-
pared for them bnt IL they will mot heed the
invitation, or II they dare approach without
the nuptial robe, she marks them with her
displessure Or binds them with her pAins and
penalties.
The last day is on us nowi Trinity Sunday
10 the limit Of the time in which the Catholic
can postpone his service to his Master, in which
he can decline to appear before His Tribunal,
In which he oan disregard the invitation to His
Wedding Feast.
Man 10 o great work" exclaims Solomon,
because he realized his excellence as God's
master piece Aristotle says: eft is the pro.
perty of man to elevate the eyes of his sonl to
things immortal, for which reason he alone OF
all animals stands erect, and naturally turns
his eyes to heRyen." And yet in spite of his
oAooOuAo& 8kc0tuceb o1u uAB kiIS OI E0hSOu, u1n
too often forgets that he is q rational being,
and under human appearance he lives the
life Of an insensate brute.
Every Catholic who knows the lofty destiny
to which he is called, who understands the
marvellous fansom paid for him, who fssis
that the Church is his teacher and his guide,
and yet who is Indifferent to the Inspirations
of grace, who turns away mookingly from the
mystery of the Gross, who spurns and sneers
ut the teachir gs of the Church snch q one
lowers himself to the level of q beast, for,
sitting reason, he places himself on an equality
with the brute creation.
"Let us eat, drink and be merry for to-
morrow we die (" Let us say in our hearts,
There is no God!" "Let MS not hear nor
heed the Church who bids us do penanoe, al
though by SO doing we become like the heathsn
and the publican."
Vain and wicked words The sinner knows,
for his reason tells him, that he can notSlSe.
that there is a God. and that the Church ns1st
be heard and must be obsyed. Terrible indeed
must be the state OF that Catholic who, when
this morning's sun shone brightly on him, was
compelled to say, " This is the last day for
met Heuceforth every breath draw is an
act Of ingratitude to God, of insult to my
Blessed Lord, of disrespect and disobedience
to the Church, my mother. II die Gs I aus
hat mother cannot breathe her prayers for
me, while terrible and irrevocable sentence
awaits me beyond the tomb"
1T alone of all animals, am endowned with
eyes which I can lift towards my God ears
with which to hear His praises lips, to speak
His love hands, to do His work feet, to walk
His ways; heart, to execute His laws; and
yet, instead Of 'acting in all things like man,
I fix my eyes solely upon this earth, and care
only for what 10 mortal and corruptible."
10 not this follyi To know that Les: Dsy,
must come for him in every sense OF the word,
and yet to live as though time were endless,
and death, uncertain
But there is another class of men, to whom
the Last Day brings reiterated warnings. Men
who are models in all things pertaining to their
of earth; who omit no duty Of their
stats Of ftfs5 who neglect none Of the amenities
that sweeten social in ntercourse, who are true in
all things, to Themselves, their families, friends
and country-true. in q word, to everyone but
God. They never fail to pay to Ca 'ar what
is C@sar's due but they forget to give to God
what belongs to God.
To all these, the Church eunoiates the fear.
fol fact, that the Last Day is st hand, that
Time, for them, shall be no more!
And this abe does in mercy to the Sinners
and in justice to her God.
She fulfills to the very letter her divine COM
mission as teacher of the souls of men. She
interprets and explains every word in the law
fher founder, and bids man know that God lie
not to be mooked for ever.
But her mercy too shines forth in this decree.
It is the outstretohed arm with which She
seeks to hold her children from the raging
cataract whose waters sweep onward to de-
struction. And while it is the Last Day for the
impenitents there is g gracious morrow re-
served by Her maternal heart for all who lis
ten to Her voice.
A COnsideration for Nswspaper Writers.