New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-20
THE SUPERNATURAL LIFE REALIZED.

Z. rather
The Rev. Father O'GOrman, of the Paulist
Fathers delivered the third of series OF lenten
at ST. PatI1ck's Cathedral, yesterday morning, at II
o'clock Mass The subject OF the discourse 1.-THE
Supernatural Life Realized in Man." and in sub
stance follows:
The living subject by assimilation Of the objects
with which It communes, receives from them
the quality and character OF its life. This
prompts us u ask what the Christian life IL the object
In contact with the soul and what is the kind OF contact
That object Is God and the contact is which we can
lot Of ourselves, bring about Nothing can be raised
above itself and its level except by contact with
thing greater and more powerful than its balloon
cannot into the air except 1t IS filed with gas
lighter than air You cannot raise yourself by the waist
band try YOU ever long and nard Man must come in
contact with One greater and higher than himself he
il ever 10 advance beyond himself and rise above the
plane on which his natural life Is placed That One
greater and higher than uan with whom he must come
into communion is God and the communion by which he
I, to De raised to The higher plane OF Christian life is
communion which the innate powers OF his and
heart are indeed capable Of receiving but not Of pro
ducing by themselves. God must, in some
way, come down TO him: stretch out to him.
IL were, helping hand and thus
Lift up q sphere above nature he freely con-
sentng To bis elevation. This sort of communion, and
nothing short OF this, will satisfy mans aspirations and
needs.
Bar bow II this communion between God and man 20
be effected God IL pure spirit IL spirit and mat
ter The middle term, the tie between both. must
be material else the nature Of Is violated and raw
tshed IN the comm union. Now God has made nature
what IL j. and He win not violate it, His omnipotcnce
and love are brought into rcqUisOn the difficulty fl
solved and the chasm brdged in the Incarnation "1hc
Word wac made flesh and dWelt among us. In Christ
the human and divine realized ~ the Divine Person
With Him, God IN the flesh, spirit In the flesh, may
commune IL way lifted to NY nature, and By that
InuuiOn man Is raised to a higher plane OF
Christian life But Christ ascended INTO
Heaven and il no present in the flesh Has,
then, the communion with Hin been for time, and
o Few OF that time only The generations that
AFTER Him. they 70 be deprived Of the OF
attaining Christian life and living in God Here, again.
at fault devise medium OF communion 1T ed TO name
nature Christ has continued himself In the Church in
HIS mystical bOdya divine human organism that bears
from Him me the invisible stream Of divine lie.
But how does that Church transmit the
life OF Christ 10 usi The law and
Nat and the Church give the answer 70 the question
Man i creature belonging 10 world OF sense, because
he j. spirit Ia the flesh hence Intellectual NJ,
the purest aud frcs from tie bondage Of matter
u him through the SENSES and mnter 50 OF divine life
Christian lfegTace. 1t comes TO him through out
extends and hs needs This Is the reason of tie
sacIanenschaDnels OF grace. And If you consider each
Sacrament III tsCf VIII Low beautifully t. Lite In
with the demands Of mans nature
From this point Of view, then, You able how
reasonable the system OF Christianity stands forth. II
Christianity be from God II does and must conform
the rst principles of things the order OF reality 10
The LAVE OF NE. Moreover, the science OF Christian
theology must Dc able 10 show this in order
The obstacles ia the OF the innd who " sincere in
ls inability 10 reconcile faith and This Chris
uAn order thIs higher sphere, this elevation OF man.