Wichita eagle., 1886-12-26
CATHOLIC CHURCH.

USGeTeC III lile Iii IsIIls1o Ddy-H L LIS oc-uei
full and impressive service was well attended
81. JOHNS CHURCH.
The church was well filled at the exercises
yesterday. An appropriate sermon was de
livered by the popular rector, Rev. Chas
Adams. and was listened to with the utmos
attention by the congregation.
Text-She brought forth her frst-borr
son, and wrapped him III swaddllEg clothe!
and laid him in the manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn.-St Luxe
| U:1
On Christmas day our thoughts are turned
| to the Christ Child in the manger. 1t Is lm
po:tant that our thought concerning Hin
! should be correct, for from thought comes
our salvation-we must be careful to have
the facts relating to this mighty fact.
| This morning we come to the maDger.
| Who were about that manger upon the first
Christmas moroing? The God-mother, ten
der and strong Joseph. There has
been a wrong thought of this man. The old
painters represent him as weak. FIllIppo
Lippe, for instance has done them great
wrong He was not weak. He was strong.
He was strong enough to be "a great man. u
That takes more strength than most men have.
Here are the shepherds. They tell their Won
derful story. They watched their fiocks by
night ''The glory of the Lord shone round
about them" The angel of the Lord had
''come upon them" And see: suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude OF the
heavenly host, praising God and singing:
GLORY to God in the highest and on earth,
peace, good will toward men" And here
are the wise men from the East. Who are
they? Our imaginations paint them kings,
magnificently attired, gorgeously robed.
They bring rare and rich treasure, Gold,
frankincense and inyrrh." We need MT
look for Interpretation. Gold to the king and
to the Christ not king BOnapartel Is remein-
bered He waved his bright sword in the
faces Of the poteDtateS Of Europe and blind
ed them. Caesar is remembered. He con
quered the Roman republic and made 1t al
empire strong, from the sands OF Africa 10
the SHOWS of Scythia, from the Atlantic
ocean to the waters of the Euphrates. These
men are remembered. They are not loved.
They are now only names IN his
ory. But the Christ, born in q manger
trained into a carpenter-the Christine
barbaric Galilean : the Christ rules the
thought Of the civilized world today. In
science, philosophy, theology, everywhere,
all uncover to HIM. and admit Him King.
NAY more than that God To the
thoughtful man any claim put i'll by one so
long ago in view of subsequent history-one
whose history was and is such as His-is ad-
mitted. Wise men, remember, gave him
gold in His manger. They, also, gave Him
frankncense In our wisdom, if we be wise.
we do the same thing today There was
wisdom in the gorgeous east, out OF which
these wise men came so long ago as there Is
wisdom in the brilliant west today. 1t
would be well for us did we uncover to some
one else than ourselves, once in awhile at
least The nineteenth century is not the
only one of mind of wisdom. Had we more
of the wisdom of those who studied the
heavens-uho saw His star III the cast it
would be better foI us.
But the myrrh He was man as well as
King and God This we too often forget.
What we suffer He suffered, only more
deeply. for He had the infinite capacity for
suffering. Have you hungered ! So did
He. Have you wept SO did He Have
you had the crowd applaud you, and then
desert you because you declare the whole
councils Of God-reveal the truth within
You? So had He The very
ones who but q short time
before hailed Him the Son Of David, now
shook the finger at Him and wagged the head.
Listen to His cry, My God, my God hast
thou forSaken me!' In it there is the tremor
and ring Of an infinite agony-fiiliUg human
history.
Christ came to save us At the side of the
manger let us ask: From what? From our
sins already committed? They are on
record, and by that record we must stand.
From the consequences Of our tranSgres-
sions? No, we must suffer the penalty. Cut
your finger and you must suffer the wound;
though God in his love has given healing
ointments, or their possibility.
Then from what! From our sins. We
must come to Him, learn of Him. take Him
as our moGel-have the governing principle
of love, the divine principle. The moment
we cease to do wrong and begin to do right,
the moment we make an effort to be gov
ernned by love rather than seliishness, then
we begin to be saved by the Christ-not from
our past sins, not from the penalty, but from
The disposition to Sn--from sin. Thus We
gradually come from under our past sins 1t
Is true, and their consequences are finally
suffered But the thought is that we are TO
be saved from our sins.
ST ALoYSIUS CHURCH.
Last evening the basement of the new
Catholic church of st. Aloysius was COM
pletely filled with the pup.t- az tn" Catholic
school, their parents, ana members of the
church, who had come to witness the Christ
mas tree celebration and to receive what
Santa Chaus had brought TO them from his
far away home At the east end of the base
ment upon raised platform stood a majeS
tic Christmas tree litteraly loaded down
with gifts from the Jolly old Soul, whose an
nual coming is ever herald with gladness, by
Young and old Santa Claus certainly must
.lad warm spot In his heart specially re-
served for the little ohes of st. Aloysius, as
each pupil OF the school received not only
one but many gifts. 1t was indeed pleas
ant sight to witness the crowd of bright
faces, and listen to the shouts of surprise,
and delight that ever and arose, as Santa
Claus appointed agent, genial T. H. Lynch,
took the gifts from the tree and read the
pameS of the fortunate owner.
TIE pleasures of the evening commenced
with the following carefully selected musical
and literary program which was admirably
rendered:
Song, Columbia the gem of the Ocean
..................... School Children
Opening address. ........ Mrs. Vercie Manasse
Defamation .......... Miss Frankie Porter
Song, Il cannot sing that song tonight"
-.................-..N Miss Ella Mead
Defamation. Miss Mary Graley
Declamauon ......,...... Miss Rose Herme>
Song, Cricket on the Hearth,
........................ Miss Daisey Lynch
Js%tainatlc 800. miss iuba " IA Hs-I
Defamation, The visit OF st Ntchols>.n
......................M Miss Anna Mossbacker
Grafton, ION the cricis". Mr. Dave Stafford
The program concluding with the
splendid choir OF 81. Aloysius
church singing in a su Perb manner the song
euiitle<I Come Where the Lilies Bloom"
which well deserved hearty applause. The
choir consists OF Mrs Leen. Miss Ella Mead,
Miss Mysinger, Miss Tapgney, MIR. J. big
gins and Mr.. Nc HerrIg.