The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-02-02
Father Ryan's Last Lecture

Tears, Temples and Tombs )" bot to attsmnt
TO record in written characters the words of
Father Ryan is like trying to collect the dav,.
| drops from the grass or the suns hjus firm, A..
flower. They glitter and sparkle as thew fall
| from his lips, but they cannot be transfsr,.a
to paper without losing portion of their livhs
! and beauty.
Although three of the city papers reno,t.a
| this lecture, not one Of them caupbt ali th.
exquisite meaning Of the thought exnra...a
somewhat in the following words : "cbr;st
dra NIX the chalioe of human SUFFERING 70 .hs
bitter dregs, hut upon it's rim He left ths
sweetness Of His lips, and since that dsy evs,v
earthly ohaliee has traces Of thls divine sue,t,
| ness mingled with its gall"
Who but Father Ryan could have said an
touohingly all that the thouehs Of the
savfours Passion doea for the souls of mani
This thought indeed sweetens all the tolls Of
the missionary, all the agony of the martyr. all
the sacrifices of the priesthood, all the daily
trials OF the sincerely humble soul.
- He has left the sweetness of His lips unon
the rim of every ohalice." al, We can prs,z
our own there now in poverty, in Humiliation
In abandonment aud desolation, and yet NOT
murmur, for the sweetness of His lin. tataa
all the bitterness from our OWE.
Again, Father Ryan said; "The shadow ~
His oruoifxion has become the sunshine Of
human history" Could there be brighter
thought than this, or words more expressive
OF the glory OF the Redemption-of Gods
loving mercy to fallen racef "The sunshine
OF human history" All along the sges of the
past when the world was sbrouded in thu
darkness of pagan cruelty and pride; all
through the middle ages, when blood poured
like water around the footsteps of the human
race; all adown these modern days of oorrup.
tion, crime and suffering, the only sunshine is
that which comes from the shadow of the
Cross. We who are Catholics know that only
such homes arc bright, only such souls are
pure, only such hearts are blessed, as own this
sunshine and live within its brightness.
Human history shows dark scenes In every
place that lies beyond the influence of this
eternal sunshine. It shows the cruelty of
Greece, the voluptuousness of Rome. It points
to the horrors of serfdom, to the darkness of
slavery. 1t unfolds the degrading vassalage
of man, the terrible bondage of wonan-but
the sunshine shone across this darkness and
changed it into light. The truce of God, the
chivairy of knighthood, the ssorednees Of the
marriage VOW, the purity of the eloister the
glorious Zeal of the priesthood these mark
the cleaning of that sunshine which throws
over human history light for every shadow,
ray of glory for every cloud Of gloom.
We cannot describe the beautiful picture
drawn by Father Ryan of Gods Temple placed
between the Tear Of Sorrow and the Tomb of
Hope. Mans life begins in tears-and closes
in the tomb; but the Temple, in which Christ
stands, explains the mystery of one and trans
figures the darkness of the other.
He placed diadem upon the brow of Sorrow,
and shed halo OF hope around every tomb
From His Temple He speaks words of comfort
for every human woe, He sends q CLEAN of
grace for every human anguish, He stretches
hands of help to every human wretehedneas.
Tears fow towards His Temple, but he lifts
them from His feet to the throne Of God, aud
brings them back with blessings upon man.
The tomb is NO longer q place of darkness,
for which VIC exchange the light and joy and
love of earth. On our way thither, we kneel
down within Christ's Temple, and cry ont: 81
believe w-snd this divine affirmation trans-
figures the tomb and sheds above it the glory
of the ResuI rection.'
Our eyea tabernacle tears. They are always
there, hidden sometimes. but ready to flow at
the first touch of sorrow, st the first whisper
of pain. Sometimes they freeze within their
depths, and change the gloom of sorrow into
the starless midnight of despair; but Christ
lays His hand upon the fearless eyes and trans
figures the drops that flow beneath His touch
into jewels for our crown.
We do not pretend to give the exact words
of the orator, they escape us as the sunshine
escapes our fingers, as the dewdrops vanish
from our touch but we know the beautiful
moral of his: lecture is that there is hope in
Tears, Christ in His Temple, and Faith in the
Tomb.
We must all weep, for sorrow is our portion
Joy is only the foam on the crest of the wave
that breaks upon the shore of eternity; but
those tears will one day reach the heart OF
Christ, and in the after world shall CLEAN like
stars within the oloudless skies of Heaven.
We must all debut He who went down
into the tomb has sounded all it's depths and
measured all it's woe; and as He rose from the