St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-19

1t is a serious matter to ychoOses; a
church. A church is an institution for
the teaching of Christ'S truths and the
administration of Christ'S sacraments.
Any church. whichever one it may be-,
will tell you that such is its purpose.
Now, which church will you choose to
commit to its keeping your immortal
souls, and obtain for them the light of
truth and the refreshing dew of grace?
| say to you, choose the church which
Christ the Lord built Himself. For
Christ Himself built His church. Uhe
matter was too important to be left.stO
the chance design and chance skill of
this man or that, this regard for His
own revelation and His own spiritual
treasures, not to build for them with
His own hands the ship of state which
was to carry then down to all ages in
all times over the stormy waters of the
worlds ocean. If it were a questionIof
taking uD human church, it would not
be a matter of much concern which one
it should be. In fact, in hypothesis
of that kind, | would advise rather the
building upof one to suit ourselves by
ourselves. For we know just what we
would like; we could make it as easy
and as comfortable as our tastes demand.
But it has not been left to ourselves.
Il wils build my church," said Christ.
con this rock l will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it," He appointed the apostles
to be the rulers of His church, His
teachers, ana the distributors of His
graces. LAS the Father sent me, so also
/ send you;" go we. therefore, teach
all nations; and, behold, am with you
all days, even unto the contamination of
the world" Mind you, He built His
church to last until the end just so long
as there would be souls to be saved. His
church lives through ages, lives today
according 70 the promise; ana her, say
to you, choose as your mother. In cling
ing to human church you will never
rise above its source, the earth. To
reach to the skies you need a church
whose feet indeed touch the earth, but
whose brow dips into the very azure Of
paradise. In Christ's church you touch
Christ Himself, and receive into your
souls His own divine life. You are GER
tain in the possession Of His truths, for
His church teaches in His own name
and under His own guidance. You re-
ceive beyond doubt
His Own Graees.
for the apostles of his church and their
legal successors were made by Him, the
authorized ministers of those graces.
Where is Christ's church? The answer
is easy. Where is the old church, the
first church, the only church that has
lived long enough to be ChriSts'? All
reply at once. the Catholic church. All
others are of recent growth, and were
in their origin. one and all, departures
from the Catholic church. The depart
ures were unjustified. They presup-
posed, contrariwise to Christs promises,
that His church could have gone aStray.
They were rebelliouS against Christ'S
orders. which were that all should
adhere to His church. They were in
suits to His wisdom and power, as they
supposed that what Christ had failed to
do, men could succeed i'll doing giving
a church that would remain pure and
unimpaired. The name Catholic is the
name she bore from her earliest years,
name telling tine extent of Her mis-
sion, and her grandeur. Catholic means
uniyersal-the church of all nations
and of all ages, resuming in the one
word the whole charter--"Teach all
nations, and behold [ am with you
all Days"
The Catholic church offers to the col
Ored people the fullest recognition OF /
all their rights as Christians and as
men. and offers to them her power to
have those rights recognized by Others.
There are individual Catholics as preju-
diced against the colored man as others
are; but Catholics are so. in spite Of
their principles. Principles always work
out logically. The Catholic churchfis
the grandest school the world has ever !,
seen of human rights, human divinity
and civil and social equality. She il. is
who. in the person of Paul, sent back
the slave OGesimus to Philemon as "a
brother in the Lord. She it is that
banished slavery from European ma
lions. No one spoke everin laundering
tones against the African slave trade as
did her pontiffS. Today it is Leo that is
stirring up Europe to withstand in At
RIGA the traffic Ill men. 1t is the lament
ed Lavlgerie who has distributed over
the deserts thousands of Christian cru
saders to Intercept the vile trader and
give freedom to his victims. In mo tenn
pie do black and white. savage and civ
ilized man come so closely together on
such perfect terms of equality as they
do at the communion rail of a Catholic
church. For the sake of all the rights
which are yours, and for which you are
struggling. l would have you to be
Catholics.