St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-06


Human Eiement-The Priest
hood, Your Sons and Brothers
Divine in Him No Matter
What His Organization--Oth
Sermons.
The annual collection for the benefit
of the seminary fund was the occasion
for an unusually able and elaborate, ser
mon by Archbishop Ireland yesterday
on the subject of the Catholic priest
hood.
ITO understand the Catholic priest
hood" he said, 1--WE must recall two
orders to which Almighty God has ap-
pointed US to llve-the natural and the
supernatural. The natural is the life
of man OH earth as demanded by the
needs of his own being. 1t consists in
providing for the body and the soul in
so much as the natural life of the soul
is concerned. The natural order is the
obtaining of that destiny to which man
by his own being is impelled; and if he
was called to no other destiny but this.
he would be fulfilling all its demands
by living correct life, so far as his rea-
son indicates. His reward would be the
fullest development of his intellect and
will, but always OH line with their
own innate powers and tendencies.
The Creator might have left us to this
natural destiny, but He was pleased to
call us to supernatural destiny. God
Is essentially supernatural, having a
life all His own, enjoying a happiness
all His own. The supernatural, as far
as we are concerned, is the communi-
eating to US $50 far as it can be made TO
mite belngs) or this life peculiar to
Himself. We arescalled by Almighty
God to partake of His own life, to act
under impulses of His divine power,
and partake of His own felicities.
This supernatural vocation of ours
is entirely gratuitous act of divine
goodness-hence it is called grace, mean
ing gratuitous gift. BY the communi-
cation of grace to our souls, they are
made to reflect Gods own beauty: we
become like unto Him. The immediate
reflection of Gods own life enters into
our souls, spreads over them new beau
ty, and endows them with new aspira-
tons, potencies and desires, all of
which find their impletion in the Deity
throughout eternity. We are born of
God, children of God. We become lit
orally heirs of God and have right to
Gods own possessions and felicities.
We are heirs of God and co-helrs with
Christ Jesus. Christ contains in Him.
self both the natural and the super
natural. AS man HE received from
His holy mother the fullnesS of human
n2furn no a.
the second person of the blessed
trinity. Christ, as God and man,
possesses both natures hypostatically
or personally united in the second
person of the blessed trinity,
He is furthermore the source, the toun-
tain head of supernatural life for the
children of Adam. This supernatural
life is IN him as in the ocean, and
streams flowing through him bring each
man up into the regions OF the super
natural. We remain iii the supernatur-
al LIE so long as one remains in contact
with him, and we snail enjoy supernat-
ural life so long as we are worthy and
love God as He. Christ, loved Him.
Christ is the fountain of supernatural
life. Nearly 1900 years ago He walked
on earth and His death merited for all
men these gifts necessary to put them
III the life supernatural. But how are
men to be put in direct touch with God?
Because unless there be contact, with
Him, the supernatural element will be
wanting in man. Christ for this pur-
pose instituted His priesthood. lie
united the supernatural with the natur-
al; the divine with the human. He put
the divine under the human natural
covering so as to reach the hearts of
men for men only Understand the in
Vrstole by the visible.
God could have acted directly in the
souls of men, but He preferred to act
through the human element. Hence
the priesthood, the representatives of
Christ on earth, in whom we find the
human element. so that they may min
gle the more freely among men and be
understood the better by them, and the
divine element which enables them to
bring down from the sky streams of
supernatural life. Christ was both God
and man. Who of us. if we had the
choice, would have chosen a god that
was not also man? Who of US, for the
same reason, would have a priesthood
entirely spiritual? We want, of course
the spiritual, as it is the compile,
ment of cur aspirations; but we wan
also the human-a priesthood that
can live with US and love US, and whom
we can understand. So the priesthood,
the continuation of Christ on earth, is
human and divine. 1t is human. What
were the apostles before Christ gave
them his supreme commission? They
were men, and nothing but men. He
spoke to them and said: GAS the Father
hath sent me, so also L send you. He
that heareth you heareth me: he that
deSpiSeth you despiseth me-" And at
the last supper he said to them: "Do
this in commemoration of me, and be-
hold am with you all days. 10! even unto
the consunmation of the world" The
apostles remained men. 1t was still
Peter and John and James, but how
changed. Now they are his ambassa-
doris. In nature men; IN Office Christ
himself. who are the priesthood?"
Your sons, your brothers, men; but the
day they kneel before the pontlff OF the
church whose office it is to bestow
utilization on men and he bids
them 90 forth, from the moment
of their ordination the natural and the
supernatural are united. So in the
priest at all stages of his life you find
the man. The advantages give room for
occasional disadvantages: but it is for
the greater good of souls that the priest
remains the man. He is the child of
man, subject to frailties and Limitations
Of mind, and he is obliged as you if he
would enlarge his sphere of usefulness
to work and cultivate himself. Much is
left to his natural powers. Christ acts
through him as human instrument.
The best music is controlled more or
less by the instrument, however exalted
the master. When the priest officially
acts his human nature disappears.
When he prOnounces his benediction
over the child in bantiSm cleansing If
from original sin, it is not the
man that speaks, 1t is Christ
Himself. The same when in the holy
sacrifice of the mass when he saws over
the bread and wine, This is my body;
this is my blood" the Observation-Disclosures
is brought about by Christ himselfacting
through his appointed minister Again
when in the confessional, the priest
speaks Thy sins are forgiven thee" it
is not the man but the divinely consti-
tuted power of Christ with which he is
invested that works the wondrous pow
er. A priest, humanity speaking, is the
more powerful for good inasmuch as he