St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-10
THE HOLY EUCHARIST.
The Third of Cardinal Gibbons
Lenten Sermons.

LGnten sermons.
BALTIMORE, April 9.-Cardinal Glib
bons preached the third Of his series of
Lenten sermons to-day. His theme was
the Holy Eucharist. His eminence
opened his discourse by the declaration
that there Is no dogma of the Catholic
church which rests on stronger Scrip
tural authority than the doctrine Of the
real presence of Jesus Christ in the
Holy EuchariSt-and then demonstrates,
taking his arguments from the Scrip
lures, 1.-THE real presence OF Christ in
the blessed sacrament" He cited the
text, which speaks Of the promise OF the
Eucharist, of its institution, and
of its use among the faith
full. "And why" asked his emin-
ence, "is the Catholic Interpretation
of these words rejected?" Because" ,"he
answered, "those not of the church do
not comprehend how God could per-
form so stupendous miracle as to give
His body and blood for our spiritual
nourishment They say it is mystery
beyond their comprehension. A mys-
tely-a religion that rejects revealed
truth because it is incOmprehensible
contains in itself the seeds of diSSolu-
ton and will end IN rationalism. Is not
eveI ything around us a mystery? Is not
the Scripture full of incomprehensibie
mystery? Think of the trnity-a mys-
terv not only above, but apparently con-
trary to reason-the incarnation-tha
the helpless infant in Bethlehem was
God. st. Paul declares that God, whom
the heaven of heavens cannot contain,
dwells within every righteous soul.
Know We not, he says, that ye4
are the temples of the Holy
Ghost and that the spirit of
God dwelleth within We? Does He
not daily make devout souls the taber-
nacles of the Holy Ghost. And shall
we deny, despite the Lords plain dec
laration, that God, who works these
wonders. is able to change bread and
wine into His body and blood for the
food Of our souls. One can understand
why rationaliSts, who admit nothing
above their reason, reject the real pres
ence. but that Bible Christians should
reject it is indeed the incomprehensible
mystery. ''ThiS is My body" Do those
explain this text to their own satisfac-
ton. Not at all. Their burden but be-
gins to weigh here. Why, only few
years after the early ''reformers" had
rejected the Catholic doctrine of the
Eucharist, no fewer than 100 meanings
were given to the words, "This is My
boly," etc. 1t is easy betimes to ig-
more the truth; even to reject
the truth. 1t is far easier
to destroy than to build up. The cardi-
nal then continued his argument in
favor of the Catholic or literal inter-
pretation of the wOrds-'This is my
bodybuilding that every circumstance
connected with the delivery of them
obliges us to accept them in their plain
and literal sense. His authorities were
the Holy Scriptures themselves, and the
fathers of the church without eXcep-
ton: ST. Ignatius, who was disciple
of St. Peter; st. Justin, martyr in the
second century; Origen in the third cen
tury; st. Cyril in the fourth century:
st. John Chrysostom and st. Au-
gustlne in the fifth century; and so on
all through the centuries. Additional
witnesses to the Catholic doctrine of
the corporeal presence were the Greek
church that separated from the Roman
Catholic church thousand years ago
and the Russian church OF to-day, and
the scniSmatic bodies and Oriental
sects no longer in communion with the
See of Rome.