The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-04-04
EASTER SUNDAY AT FARGO.
An Able Sermon bv Father Collins at 81
MarYs Church.

At st. Mary's church, Fargo, N. d., at
1890 o'clock mass, Easter Sunday morn
ing, Rev. D V. Collins, pastor, delivered
the following able sermon:
After the forty days of penitence and
humiliation during Lent, ending in the
mournful services of the last two days of
Holy Week: this church always makes it
a point to express her JOY at the ressur-
rect on by appropriate services. The
early mass at 8 o'clock was very largely
attended, and at the 10 80 high mass the
church was crowded TO the doors. The
music was Farmers Mass in r. the num-
bers being "Vide Aquam," Kyrie E!ei-
son." "Gioria in Exoelsis::' 'Credo, "
''Regina Coeli," "Santhus," "Regna Ter
"a, "Agnus Dei," and the ''Te Deum.'
The beautiful music Was fifty rendered
by the choir, which while not large one
is we'll balanced. The ''Gloria" and
"Agnus Del" were especially worthy o.
mention. being rendered with great del
icacy and feeling.
AN ELOQUENT SERMON.
Rev. Dean Collins spoke from st.
Mark xvi. IL, "You seek Jesus of Naza-
reth, He is risen, He is not here" the
following being the substance of his in
teresting sermon:
The Easter Sunday is a day of joy and
of victory, because it is in special man.
ner ''day Shat the Lord hath made. "
To-day we celebrate His victory over the
grave, over death and over hell. His
coming was foretold ages before by the
prophets. His approach was announced
by the angel to the Blessed Virgin, who
had been selected and prepared to be-
come His mother. His arrival was an
nounced by the angelic hosts to the
shepherds OF Bethlehem, and John the
Baptist pointed Him out as the greatest
of men, and as the Lamb OF God who
takes away the SINS of the world. And
SO to-day the angel in the sepulchre
points out to the weeping women, 'He is
risen, He is not here" During His life
| Christ had restored the dead to life, and
wrought many miracles to prove bis d.
YIN ty, and at last he throws down the
challenge to the unbel ewing Jews, DE
strov this temple and in three days will
build it, The Jews accepted His ehal
lenge, and crucifed Him, and to-day He
redeems His promise, He breaks the
manacles of the tomb and enables us to
say with the Apostle Paul, "Oh, death.
where is thy sting; oh, grave, where Is
Thy victory?" Others have been raised
from the dead, but only the Incarnate
Son Of God could raise Himself by His
own inherent pc wer, and thus prove His
divinity and thus triumph victorious
over death and the powers Of hell.
What wonder then that the church
should celebrate this great day with joy
and rejoicing. As the apostle st. Paul
says, s'were not Christ risen then is your
calling and election vain" But We kno "
that Christ did indeed rise from the
dead. He himself proved it to His dis
cples, the apostles testified to it, the un,
believing Jews had t, acknowledge it
and to-day 500, 100000 of human beings
bow before Him who was this day VIC
torious over death and the grave, after
shedding His blood for them, and drain
ing the CUP of sorrow to the dregs.
Long ages ago Job said, ''if man die,
shall he live again?" That is the great
and all important question that has o.
cupied the thoughts of mankind from
that day to this, and will continue to do
SO to the end. Shall man live again,
and if so, when and where? No man
has ever been able to answer this ques-
ton for us, except the ncarnate Son of
God, who died for us, but rose again,
and has given us his beautiful promise.
II am the Resurrection and the life, he
that belie7eth on me shall never die. =
Then if we wish to partAke in the spirit
Of the resurre .tion from the death of sin,
let us observe the precepts of the church,
If we have been subject to sin let us re-
nounce it through His grace, if our sim
full passions have been too strong for us
hitherto let us approach the sacraments
and ask for strength to overcome them,
at we may take part in bis resurrec'
ton and rise with him to reign with
God.
But Christ is not only the cause of our
spiritual resurrection, but has also rails
ed us from social intellectual, and polit-
cal degradation. We talk of Washing
ton and of Bolivar as the liberators of
their country from oppression, but Christ
is the Great Lberator whose doctrine
has freed mankind in body and soul.
Look at our present state of society and
see the estimation in which woman is
held in all Christian countries as COM
pared with those lands where His doc
trines are not taught. and where woman
| ia M moro than q slave to mans brutal