St. Paul daily globe., 1888-01-30

LII Is SupefHuOuS TO say 10 gam the as
sent of his intelligence. Christ himself
must be endowed with superior mind,
enriched with a science sure and pro-
found; He must needs possess an in
fallible authority, without which His
science would be devoid of basis and
prestige; He must needs be animated
with an unlimited zeal to give preva-
lence to His science and authority:
finally His language must possess that
charm of Incompatible simplicity to
communicate the Sublimest thoughts to
the most humble intelligence. If His
reign obtains to-dayih the world, it is
not indeed reign of physical force.
For master who is only such by his
force, and servant who only obeys by
force, is indeed sad privilege for the
one and the other.
Christ has claims upon the intelli-
gence of men.
Profundity is, the dominant trait of
superior minds. There have been men,
who by the force of their intellectS and
from the knowledge of
MEN AND EVENTS
who have been able to unveil the fut-
ure. The distinguished Count De Mes
tire, who lived in the beginning of this
century, was particularly happy and
successful i'll this, gift of preScience.
However. with the best of them, mcer
tainty always preceded their provisions.
hesitation accompanied them, and de-
ceptionS followed them.
AS for Christ, provision was His habit
ual state. The future was to Him like
the present, and when He spoke of it
His words were natural, unaffected. He
fOretold the New Jerusalem; nations
converted to Christianity; He foretold
the ruin of Jerusalem: and lie saw the
Jews scattered everywhere throughout
the world, prosecuted and threatened
with expulsion, the which has happened
in the course of time; at one time from
France, at another from Russia, and
only two years since from Germany.
As for his church, he foretOld that
the apostles would propagate it, but i'll
their blood. This we know has been re-
allied. He foretold his own death. Ev-
cry circumstance was known i'll ad-
vance. He was to die on the cross at
Jerusalem. Judas was to betray him,
and his passion was to be scandal for
many. With penetrating mind he
Joined science sure and profound.
Endowed with all the treasures of the
power of infallibility. This he con-
fesses when he says: .'The words that
1 speak to you, speak not of myself, but
the Father. who abideth in me, he doth
the work.
That, however, which is Strikingly
characteristic of His teaching is the SIM
plicity with which he spoke. He adj
dresses his hearers no matter where, he
did not even demand where he was,
but comparisons, metaphors, parallels
always accompanied His teachings with
grace and charm. The most successful
form of His teaching, the best adapted
to the minds of His hearers and the
most pleasing to their imaginatiOns was
the form of the parable. We have an
example of this in te-day'S gospel. His
every word had its profound meaning,
and His hearers listened to Him with
the deepest interest; hung upon His
every word and went away charmed,
moved, enthuSed, saying one to an
other: Never did man speak like this
man." Yet we have but all incomplete
idea of Him who was born in the OBJ
Scure point of Galilee, where there was
neither the school of Athens, nor of
Alexandria, nor of EpheSuS. There
came forth, however, '<
AN INTELLECT MORE BRILLIANT
than the world had until then wit
messed. The sun of heaven has ShOne
since the beginning, but there has shOne
a brighter sun for 1900 years, and
to-day it. commands the world,
while danlneering our modern
civilization. The world also, it is true,
has produced great minds, but who can
compare with Christ? In Him thought,
expression, elOquence, practical infiu-
ence, immensity of results, go beyond
all that the human mind can conceive.
1t has been the aim of pOtentates,
Jealous of His power, to destroy His in
tiuence. Physical force has been en-
IL II Nl,o
passions of men have been aroused;
they have not proved more successful.
To-day His enemies say He cannot re-
sist the force of intelligence. What has
been the RESULT. The result has been
that His life and character have been
studied with a frenzy and passion hith-
ertO unknown. They have brought
more clearly to light the divine beauties
of His ideal character. He is to-day adj
mitted by all, friends and enemies
alike, to be the ideal man. Men who
have openly and prOfeSsedIy declared
themselves His enemies on reviewing
the great men of the world place, Him
far above them all. Such has
America, Strauss in Germany, and
the impious Renan in France.
Such is the homage His enemies cannot
refuse Him. We then, who profess to
be His children, let us bow down and
humbly call Him, with st. Matthew,
sour master"
However, obedience to Christ is in
separable from obedience to His church,
His visible representative here on earth.
| She also has claims upon the intelli-
gence of men; She also is in possession
of science pure and profound, having
an answer for every question which can
| interest the minds of men; she also is
in possession of an infallible authority
and is animated with true concern for
THE SOULS OF ALL.
Simple in her teachings, she counts
among her children the grandeSt minds
which have hOnored humanity. If. how
! ever, her teachings are refused. it is due
! to peculiar circumstances of times and
! places. To-day material progress with
| its augmentation of wealth and COM
fort is simply a bewilderment. The
| equilibrium in man seems to be for the
! time suspended. The growth of the
material faculties seem to be far above
| the cognate growth of the spiritual man.
Hence the tendency to abandon religion
and find in the world the satisfaction of
his aspirations. But the hope and saliva
ton of society and the individual is
found in the Catholic church. The
| model she holds out for our imitation is
Christ, the true, the good, the beautiful.
ONE YEARS WORK.