The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-25

loves to feast of past visions; churches full
of midnight in order to celebrate the birth
of the Messiah; groups Of children wor
Shipping at the Crib, and the faithful cele-
brating in traditional songs the heart
sacred solemnity In those days of har-
monious belief, the peans of alteration to
the Redeemer were Immediately followed
by hymns of praise to the "Alma Re
demptoris Mater" Our Lady of the Man
ger, the Virgin Mother On this moment
of Christmas, as the angels are listening
Tor the alternate chorus from the "men of
good will on earth' they fail to rejoice over
the unison with which the harp of a thou
sand strings was wont to repeat the hymn
to her whom they proclaim their queen.
Catholics alone have nobly persevered in
the solemn and sacred usage, because the
mystery of the Incarnation has remained
the same and its saving relations and influ-
ence have not been altered. Mary is to-
day, in the light OF the gospel, what she
was three or four centuries ago. Ii re-
mains true of her that on this day ''she
brought forth her first born SON." Her
first born and her last-born, notwithstand-
ing the carnal Interpretation forced by ig-
nOrant objections. Her first-born, in the
spiritual sense inferred from ST. Paul
when he says: God predestinated US to
be made conformable TO the image of His
Sou, that He might be the first born
amongst many brethren" and when else
where the same inspired writer alludes
10 iob hn of
creature: PrimODenjtIs ON is creature.
This expression of the infallible truth,
"She brought forth her tirst-born son,
the first-born amongst all Christians, the
tirst-oorn of every creature, reflects such a
spiendor upon the maternity of the Virgin
Mary, that we Catholics feel sWeetly bound
to pay her cur worship-a worship indeed,
as infinitely inferior to Gods worship as the
creature is infinitely distant from the crea-
tor; but worship which can be extended
indefinitely within the finite without ever
deserving logically the accusation of idola-
try of which we feel proud and sorry at
the same time.
Mary is the Mother of Jesus. Jesus is
God, co-substantial with the Deity There
fore, Mary is the Mother Of God: the theo-
tokos of the first Christians, the Mother of
the Incarnate Words whom Christianity
azores as The Redeemer.
This strictly Christian syllogism gives
US the sufficient reason of our devotion to
Mary. For, after all, the incarnation is
the initial dogma of Christianity, and the
peace of the worlds salvation came down
from heaven and was placed within the
bosom of Mary, but not without Mary's
participation; by heavenly operation, but
not without her virginia. cooperation, nor
the fiat of her faith. her love and her i'm
maculate purity. The Virgin Mothers i'm
portance is, therefore, to be measured by
the Importance of this mystery of mys-
teries in which she was voluntary and
most worthy instrument.
1t is by these and other reasons that we
Catholics are animated on this day to en-
tone from the bottom of our hearts the
alma Mater, and as we approach thd Man
ger with our sincere homage, we do not
conceive for one moment how the Divine
Infant could rebuke US in the language of
some modern Christianity and tell US with
His tilial lips: "Cease your protestations
of respect, for this woman is nothing but
nv mothern