St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-28
Verestchagin's FamousPaint-
ing Occasions Interesting
Doctrinal Discussion.
Another Social Sensation
Likely to Be Aired in the
Divorce Court.
Adamson, the Mortgage Bro
ker, Preparing for His En-
forced Vacation.
How Geo. r. Buchan Passed
Sunday--He Suffers Men.
tai Anguish.

.
In the Verestchagin collection at the
Panorama building perhaps there is no
painting attracting more attention, es-
peciallv among orthodox believers, than
the "Holy Family" from the fact that
the great Russian artist has represented
in the picture a group of brothers and
sisters of Jesus. In the catalogue it is
said that he drew his inspiration from
certain texts in the gospels of Matthew,
Mark and John. In an interview with
DR.. Burrell as to the Scriptural accuracy
of the picture, the Westminster divine
is reported to have said that the Script
ures speak of the brothers and sisters of
Jesus in such way as to leave no doubt
i'll the minds of unprejudiced people
that Jesus was not the only child of
Mary. He further said that ever since
the Reformation there has been con-
slant strife over the question between
the Roman Catholics, who hold that
Mary was perpetual virgin. and the
Protestants, who believe she was a
woman like any of our mothers. He
believed she was an ordinary wOman.
and not without sin, and though blessed
among women that she was not blessed
above women. This interview found its
way to Rev. j. c. Byrne, of the Church
of the Immaculate Conception, who
preached an able sermon yesterday in
defense of Mary's Sanctity and virgin
lty.
In the course of bis address to his
large congregation, he said: mo other
church i'll belief or in practice teaches
more StrenuouSly or observes more care
fully the sanctity of marriage than the
Catholic church. Marriage for Catholic
woman is sacrament which is one and
indiSSOluble. 1t is the source of her
holiness, the guardian of her happiness,
the charter Of her equality. Yet, withal,
the same church teaches that, while the
married state is holy one, the state of
vlrginity is still more holy. Both he
that giveth his virgin in marriage doth
well, and he that giveth her not doth
better says st. Paul. Is it credible,
then, that the virgin foretOld by the
prophets from all ages would
deliberately foregO the better
part? Her vow of chastity stood
in the way, for she says, "How
will this be done. for know not man?"
Rather than break her VOW she would
have put aside the heavenly virginity
offered her by the angel. Having OBJ
served holy virginity so long before
Christ's birth, is it credible that after
being sanctitied and ennobled beyond
all conception by this birth of the Re-
deemer, she deliberately stopped from
the presence of such a favor from
heaven to the ordinary ways of men.
Credat Ind8us Apelles, non ego. Were
such the case, the Sister of Charity would
be the model and not the follower, and
the noblest ideal among creatures would
vanish. But it is objected, the
angel called her merely blessed among
women not above women How dull
and harmless are the shafts of error
against the truth? The angel saluued
the virgin with other words in the same
line, which Indicate her greatness, Hail,
full of grace?' To whom ever was such
Salutation given? 1t was because she
was highly favored that she was con-
ceived without stain, born and preserved
without sin, either original or actual.
Therefore she was blessed among wom-
en-. that is, the most blessed,
the. most holy of all women.
Because any one who has studied
Hebrew knows that the Hebrew Ian
guage has this idiom of expressing the
superlative degree. The language of
the angel is referred to by st. Luke, the
most particular of all the evangelists
as to details, and it is evidently literal
translation from Hebrew, and cOnse-
uuently blessed art thou among wo-
mem is equivalent to thou are the most
blessed of all women Judith, who cut
off the head of the enemy of her coun-
%r,. Ecth uhn coun1 hnr n
the sentence of death, pale into insig-
nificance before Mary, who, by crush
ing the serpent's head, destroyed
the enemy, and by her fiat
gave to us a Redeemer who removed
the Handwriting" of eternal death that
was against us. Therefore she was not
an ordinary woman with sin. But it is
objected, the scriptures say that Christ
had brothers and sisters. Granted. But
the scriptures do not say that they were
the sons and daughters of Mary. The
scriptures do indicate in some cases, and
do positively say in others, that these
were the sons and daughters of Mary's
relatives. In John. viii, 5, we read:
'Neither did His brethren believe
in Him." Nice sons of Mary, these;
nice members Of the holy family.
They were evidently mere kinsfolk,
perhaps the same unmannerly ones who
previously crowded out the divine in
fant's mother from the inn to find
refuge in the stable of Bethlehem. In
Matthew xiii. the Jaws say, is not this
the carpenters son? Is not his mother
called Mary and his brethren James and
Joseph and Simon and Jude and his
sisters, are they not all with us?' Now,
if this text proves that Christ had real
brothers and sisters, it also proves that
he was the carpenters son, which is
certainly false. But what proves too
much, proves nothing. st. Paul, in
| saw none, saving James, the
brother of the Lord This James
then. so-called the brother of
the Lord, was an apostle. We turn to
the enumeration of the apostles in
Matthew, X, and find that he is the son
of Alpheus, or Cleophas, which is the
word in the original Hebrew. In Mat
thew, xvii, Sc, we are told many women
followed Jesus from Galilee, among
whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James and Joseph, and
the mother of the sons of Zebidee; and
in John. xix, %, we are told who this
Mary was. Nov there stood by the
cross of Jesus his mother and
his mothers sister, Mary of
Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene."
Therefore, James the apostle. called
the brother of the Lord is, according
to Scripture, merely his cousin. The
brothers and sisters of Christ were his
kinsfolk, as piety teaches and tradition
confirms. In the days of st. Paul the
Scriptures were read every Sabbath and
not understood: now they are read
every Sabbath and misunderstood. The
veil has thickened.