The herald., 1894-12-26
CHRISTMAS IN THE CHURCHES,
"The Word Was Made Flesh
and Dwelt Among U.s."
A Powerful Sermon by the Rev.
McAuliife.
impressive Services I'm the Catholic aud
Episcopal Churches of
Los Angeles.

The anniversary of the birth OF Our
Redeemer was celebrated in an impress.
sive manner in many of ths Los An
gelss churches. Tasteful floral decora-
tions were profuse in many of them.
In the cathedral of Sancta Vibiana
the high mass was celebrated by Right
Reverend Bishop Montgomery, assisted
by the Very Reverend Father Adams,
vicar general; Father McAuliffe. deacon,
and Father Doyle, sub-deacon. Gilsinn's
Italian Mass No. was rendered, entire,
BY the choir, organ and orchestra. Miss
Cecilia Gardner sang the solo, Lau-
damus Te, Miss Jennie Winston
Quonism and Domino Deus, Mr.. Wer-
ner, tenor Qui Tollis, Mrs. j. b. Gard
ner alts, Agnus Del, Mr.. Jacob Muller,
baritone. Adestes Fidsles. Henry
fiann. tenor, and f. w. Wallace, basso,
also sang solos.
The sermon was preached by the Rev.
Father McAuliffe, who took for his sub
ject: The Word was made Flesh, and
dwelt am ong us. John xiv. He said {:
When Adam. By his disobedionce, lost
that original justice and innocence in
which he was constituted by Almighty
God, he became utterly unable to take
enc step toward the attainment of that
end for which he was destined by his
Creator. And hence Redeemer was
absolutely necessary to raise him from
his fallen state and to satisfy the divine
justice for the sin of our first parents.
And this satisfaction man was unable to
make because the injury done to God by
in in ms irfi
therefore the divine justice required an
infinite satisfaction.
No created being, no matter how pure
and holy, could satisfy for the offsnss in
the way the divine justice required.
hence our fret parents and their pos
terity would have been lost forever had
not God in his goodness provided for
them Redeemsr. And when the full
ness of time was come He sent His
only Son into the world to remedy the
work resulting from the ain of our first
parents, thus fulfilling tho promise
which He made to Adam after the fall,
when He said to the enemy who de-
nounced Him, II will put enmty be.
!. tween thee and the woman; hetween
thy seed and her seed, and chs shall
crush thy head and thou shsll lie in
wait for her heel" Four Thousand
years elapsed before this promise was
fulfilled, before the word was made flesh
before the Redeemer appeared and
dwelt among men.
The condition of mankind during all
these ages was one of universal corrup-
tion, so much that God repsntsd that
He had made man upon the earth and
said. II will destroy man whom l have
created from the face of the EARTH"
Still, after the deluge and in the midst
OF ell the wickedness OF mankind, God
did not abandon it. He set apart q
chosen people from whom the Messiah
was to be born, and to whom he gave an
imperfect revelation OF the truths of
eternity, reserving the full and perfect
revelation for the work of the Messiah
himself. Hence, one of the principal
Offices OF the Redeemer was to make
known to man those heavenly truths
which are so necessary for his salvation.
This 10 why the angels on that fret
Christmas morning announced that the
birth of the Infant Saviour would give
glory to God and peace to men. For
that divine Child was the son of God,
the second person of the Most Holy
Trinity, who took our nature on him in
order to redeem fallen man.
That Jesus Christ is truely God is
sacred scripture but the miracles there.
in recorded are a most incontestible
proof OF his divinity, because by them
he manifested his power over the laws
OF nature, thus proving that he was the
outhor of nature, that he was God.
Hence st. John says; MANY other
things Jesus did, but these things are
written that you may know Jesus Christ
is the Son OF God.
He was also truly man. for the ''word
or Son OF God, which, in the beginning.
was with God, and was true God. was
made flesh and dwelt among u.s." He
was subject to all our infrmities, sin
only excepted. 'It behooved him."
says st. Paul, sin all things to be made
like to his brethren, that hs might be.
come merciful and faithful high priest
with God, TO make reconciliation for the
sons OF the people" 1t was necessary
that He should nubject Himself to all
the miseries of human nature, for the
divine justice demanded satisfaction
for sin equal to the injury done to God
by sin. This was satisfaction which
none but God could give, but on the
other hand, since God was incapable Of
suffering in his own nature, it became
necessary that in the person Of Jesus
Christ, the two natures should be
united. The nature OF man, that he
might BIZ capable OF suffering, and the
nature OF God, to give to these sufferings
an infinite value.
Considering. then, the wretchedness
Of mankind, and the miseries in which
he was sunk during those ages that
elapsed before the coming of the Re-
deemer, have we not reason to thank
God for sending US such Redeemer,
who was able to raise man from his
fallen state and reveal to him those
truths which are 30 necessary for his
salvation? Yes, we have reason to be
gratsful for such gifts, and it ia because
OF those gifts that the angelic choir, on
the frat Christmas morning, announced
that the birth of the Infant Savior
Drought glory to God and
peace to men, The incarnation brought
glory to God because it mani.
feste6 H;s truth and fidelity, His
mercy and iuetics. IL eleo brought
peace to men, for. as the prophet says,
"a child is born to us, the Prince of
Peace Yes, Jesus has brought three.
iold peace; peace with God. peace with
ourselves and peace with our neigbbor.