The morning call., 1894-02-14
THE EUCHARIST.
Bishop Keane's Sermon
at ST. Mary's.
The Belief i'm Transubstantiation Is
the Secret of the Strength
of Catholicism.

The third Of Bishop Keane's series of
sermons in the mission now being con-
Quoted at st. Mary's Cathedral drew as
large a congregation last night as any of
the preceding ones had done. Pews, aisles,
vestibules and all available spaces were
filed with auditors. The theme announced
was, Christ, the Living Bread" 1t fol-
lowed in logical order from the subject Of
the evening before, Christ, the Life"
'If Christ is our life," said the speaker
in beginning his sermon, what is the food
wherewith that life shall be supported
The text of tonight, taken from the sixth
chapter Of st. Johns Gospel, says that
Christ is the bread of life. from whom we
shall gain our strength and sustenance.
Is it possible that the Son of God, that
God himself, would stoop so low as to be-
come the very food which we eat?
How else could life be sustained than
by God himself? 1t is his git. He makes
it. Should not he support 1t? AS he gave
life, DOT alone in the time of Jesus. not
alone 10 Palestine, but in every place and
In every age, and to every generation, so
in the eucharist be offers the eternal bread
to every one of US. What a shame. then,
when he has so provided for us, that the
name of his Son should become the object
of religious contention ard misundeTstand-
Suppose an utter stranger to our reli-
gions we're TO come among us and witness
two sectS so much at variance, still claim
ing the same Lord and founder of their
religions, what would he make of the alb
surdity? The Catholic Mould be claiming
that not only was our Lord the founder of
his faith, but that the son of God was still
with his faith in real presence in the
eucharist. The Protestant would be claim
ing that Jesus never Intended to say that
he would be actually present in the body
and blood, but merely in spirit. The
hstranger would be puzzled and would not
know which side to credit.
Questioning of both sides would follow.
Answers would he mutually contradictory.
Certainty would be hard 10 fix upon. But
in the end the balance of credibility would
rest with the professors of faith in the real
presence. For the Bible, which is our
Lords own eclaration n, says explicitly that
Jesus Is the bread of life. 1t says that the
bread taken In the communion is, and the
wine drunk is. his veTiiable body and
blood. 1t makes no reservations. When
pressed with the inexplicab ility of il,
Jesus iterates and reiterateS. Amen,
amen, am the bread of life and he that
believeth not in me, etc. Even when
his disciples disbeievs and go apart as II
20 forsake him he does lot call them back,
but lets them take their way, his word
given, not to be broken.
blood are in memory of him. but that the
PARTICIPATION in them are in memory of
him. The meaning OF his words cannot
be symbolical.
"+T hen The Protestant urges as a last re-
sort that the belief in MISREPRESENTATION is
not reasonable, is not consistent with
| science. To this the Catholic replies:
No man ever looked more deeply into
reason and science than Leibnitz, yet hear
what he saws of the possibility of unrea-
4 A.
govern matter are but one out of an in
finite number of others with which, under
other circumstances, God can and does
operate.
$50 with the resurrected body of Christ.
The laws which we know in science do
D OF control it. 1t is passed beyond into
the region of the other laws which lie
within the possibility of GOO. 1t caa come
10 earth and be In the form il pleases. 1t
does come TO earth. Our Lord in his real
body is present with us ever. He is here
in this sacred tabernacle within this
sacred temple. Those who will may come
and worship him.
WITNESS how he is with the priesthood.
What but his eternal presence enables
them to be the distinct and marked class
of men they are the world over? What
but the every morning communion with
him enables them to preserve that chas-
tity which the common world will not be-
lieve they have? What else Is it but Gods
presence which makes the Catholic church
what il is and what it has been through
history?
"a stranger who would contemplate
these presentations, il he believe at all in
the divinity of the founder of Christianity,
! could not do otherwise than profess him.
self convinced that the Catholic church
had the truer faith ?"
In conclusion Bishop Keane urged all
his aggregation to RECONSIDERATION of
themselves during the mission week, and
to more frequent confession and CON-
munion for the future.
SAY, girls, II you want to fool that best fellow,
Just ask him to give Won his packare of white,s