The Irish standard., 1889-03-30
Our Sister O,tY.
CONTINUED from First Page.]

Our Sister OltY.
Continued from First Page.]
been carried to the uttermost ends of the
earth. Similarly have gone forth the
daughters IF ST. Bridget. They have
sacrificed every impulse for God. These
gentle nuns fear no danger, and de
spjse all human suffering. They are
equally at home binding the wounds Of
the soldier on the battlefield, or minis
terina to the wants of the sick in our
hospitals, or teaching the young the
WAYS Of Christianity, or bringing back
to the paths of virtue an erring daugh-
ter of God. They are living example
OF TIE excellence to which Christian
woman can attain f her influence On So
Getty, Of hex power TO make the world
better. SO that the very pagans them.
selves are forced not to withhold their
admiration.
St. Patrick spared no pains in his Of
furts for the Irish race Pagan prac
tees he converted into Christian uses.
He explained and popularized different
points of doctrine. The doctrine of the
Blessed Trinity, for example. he illus
trated by the Shamrock of Erin. He
pointed out, simply yet eloquently to
his fervid Celtic audience that the
three little leaves growing from one
stem, represent the adorable Trinity
three in one. one in three, three in per-
son, one in essence; SO that this little
Plant has for our people a sacred as
we'll as national significance.
AS have already insinuated, it is Of
more use to us to know the virtues Of
our saint, in order that, knowing we
may copy them, rather than to know
the bare facts of his life. And when we
speak Of certain virtues which adorned
thus or that great saint, we do not mean
to imply that he was not clothed with
all the other virtues, but that certain
ones show out more brilliantly than
others in his life. When we speak of
the impulsive zeal of Peter and the all
consuming love of John we are not to
be understood as saying that Peter was
without affection or that John was
without zeal. Similarly, when we di-
rect attention to certain virtues Of Our
Apostle we mean that these marked
out the specific character Of our saint
and were more remarkable than the
others.
The spirit ut penance which marked
his life was truly marvellous. He did
penance lest he should perish. He did
penanoe, for he looked upon the king
dom of heaven as always at hand. He
did penance lest whilst he preached to
others he himself might become cast
away. He-great saint as be was
always remembered the inspire d lesson
with fear and trembling work out
your salvation" In early life, and
whilst vet mere boy, he committed
some sin which does not appear to have
been grievous; yet afterwards, during
his long lite he shed tears of repent
ance for it. Days and nights he spent
in prayer, asking, with the prophet,
"who will give water to my head and
fountain of tears to my eyes, and will
weep day and night" And, as every
Lent approached he rested from his mis-
sionary Iabors and retired to noun.
tain in the far western portion Of the
island where he might commune unin-
terruptedly with his Creator. What a
noble example for us-the children of
st. Patrick-to practice some acts Of
penance during the holy Lenten sea.
son. So strongly has he left his impress
of self-denlal on the Irish people that
Patrick's peuance and Patrick purga-
tory are still familiar phrases amongst
them. Preparation. zeal, prayer and
penance we're all his. As our Lord
spent forty days and forty nights fast
ing and praying before entering On His
mission of preaching the gospel, so, as
the most authentic records inform rs,
St. Patrick spent long time in prepar
ing himself for his apostolic labors.
Like the Patriarch Joseph, hewas sold
as a slave and made good use of the
time; like another, Augustin, he be-
walled his earlier years, although there
was not the same cause; like Elias he
burned with zeal for Gods glory; like
Magdalen he continuously sent forth
short and we'll directed prayers to the |
throne of God. Linked with the virtue