Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-02-13
THE CARDINAL ON PRAYER.
Its Efficacy Upheld in Sermon at the Ba
timOre Cathedral.

Its Efficacy Upheld in a Sermon at the Bal
timore Cathedral.
Cardinal Gibbons preached Sunday,
February Sd, at the Cathedral in Balti
more on The Efficacy of Prayer" He
took for his text the following extract
from the eighth chapter of st. Mat
thew:
"And behold there arose a great
tempest in the sea, insomuch that the
ship was covered with the waves; but
He Christi was asleep. And His dis
ciples came to Him and awoke Him,
saying, Lord, save us, we perish"
The Cardinal said in part: This
was the cry of the Apostles sinking on
the Lake of Genesareth. This was the
cry that went forth from the Inflated
steamer Elbe on Wednesday last when
$50 souls pelished in the North sea at
ter a few moments of warming. Before
the steamer went down the passengers.
we are told, gathered together on the
deck, fell on their knees and begged
the Lord to have mercy on them. This
is the cry of humanity itself IN aff1lc-
ton. 1t lifts up its voice to the AL
mighty Power when it is struggling
with the waves of adversely.
current in smooth waters, SO long as
we bask in the sunshine of prosperity,
so long as fortune smiles upon us, we
are tempted to be forgetful of God and
to exult in the lust of our own
strength. But as soon as we are i'm
mersed in the troubled sea CT adversely
we cry out with the Apostles, Lord
save us. or We perish
81 was once called in a Southern city
to the bedside of a gentleman who was
suffering from protracted disease,
which finally proved fatal. He had
been life long disciple of Voltaire and
was imbued with the doctrines of that
able and insidious writer. He was a
most cultivated and polite gentleman
and would not Intentionally give Of
Tense or pain to any one. When l en-
tered his room l began to set before
him. as well AS could, the teachings
of the Christian religion and to impress
upon him the obligation of accepting
the claims of the Catholic Church. He
listened to me with great patience and
attention till | had exhausted all the
arguments that suggested themselves
to my mind.
when | was done he thanked me
for nv interest, but said that my words
had not at all removed the difficulties
from his mind There was chasm
which had not been bridged over
while I admired the candor and
sincerity of the patient was mortified
at the failure of my efforts to convert
him. I determined to make another
effort to relieve my conscience.
".You certainly admit said |, the
existence of one Supreme Being, the
Creator and Lord of all things, visible
and invisible That he replied
cannot be denied, for all creation must
| have first great cause You admit,
| [ said again, that this Supreme Being
is endowed with supreme intelligence
for He must possess in an eminent de
gree all the attributes possessed by Hi'
Intelligent creatures Reason assures
me of this he replied. You admit,
continued, that this Supreme Being
takes an interest in His creation, espe
cially in his intelligent creatures; tina
He loves us, that He possesses all thu
affection and paterDal sOlicitude which
an earthly father has for his children
in a word, that He is eminently on
Father That he replied, 'canno
be Denied
You admit, therefore, that He ma.
De moved ny our prayers dhu Ch
treaties Most assuredly,' he answer
ed. Then, said l, you admit the util
ity and necessity of prayer
"This, he said, necessarily followed
from what had said. l asked him
then, as special favor to promise MI
to offer up daily this short prayer t.
the Supreme Being-'Oh, God. give MI
light to see the truth, and grace to fol
low it, He replied most earnestly tina
he would comply with my request.
left him with serious misgivings abou
his future.
"A few days later was called to hi
bedside, and was struck with the glow
of enthusiasm that shone on his coun
tenance in contrast with the gloon
| that sat on it before. He made an elo
quent profession of his faith in the
Christian religion in language at once
simple and sublime, and begged me tC
baptize him.
Here is striking instance" the
Cardinal concluded, ''of the power o.
prayer and the direct agency of God in
the conversion of soul without mans
| interposition. One ray of Gods light
did more than human words could &C
complish."
Mass was celebrated by Rev. William
Russell, assistant rector of the Cattle,
dral.