The Irish standard., 1895-05-04
AIN'AYS APPRECIATED.
m III ola,. OF All Who Suffer, There
\ 10 Botter Friend of the Fr'end-
Tess Poor.
WoaD FOR TIE CHRISTIAN PRIEST.
Aualnst Him Are the Soofsors and the
. 4t.3s IS sss lrra.igsoss, Enemies OF COG
NJ I sf5s and Society. ~ -

il, " W
and sometimes frightfully illuminated aztec
and yet who is, nevertheless, just the
one man who is most worthy OF the
reverence and confidence OF all, says
the Sacred Heart Review. This man
is the Christian priest-the consolor OF
all who suffer, and the friend OF all the
friendless-and it is against him that
the scoffing and the irreliGlous enemies
of God and of society constantly en-
deayior to prejudice the minds OF men.
The priest is attacked in this man:
nor only because he is the minister OF
God. The man who would have no God,
would also have no priest; and, knowing
that, he is powerless to impose silence
upon lis inconveniezlt preacher OF the
divine law, lie seeks to expel him, or at
least to rob him, of the confidence OF
men in order to paralyze his ministry.
The priest has been sent to his breth-
rem by Jesus Christ, even as lie HlHaself
was sent. Even as my Father has sent
me- said Jesus to the apostles, His
first priests, 81 also send you" Jesus
was seat to save the world by the sac
ridce Of Himself, to enlishten by E1s
teachings, ana to console by has mercy.
And thus He sends Ills priesys TO
SAKE, instruct, console and sanctify their
brethren; or rather He Himself fulfills
by means OF His priests, His divine and
benihcent mission, speaking by their
mouths and deyeiopjng by their sacred
ministry, His Swine life in the midst Of
fs1,s. 80 Hn1 1rh
avA. priests ara however men. There
fore they are not perfect. Still more,
they can. il forgetful of their holy voca-
ton, fall like the rest Of us into serious
faults; but their priestiy character is no
less worthy of our reverence; and We
should always earthly distinguish be-
tween the man and the priest. Weak
ness and error are proper to man, and
we must condemn thesu in the priest
as In all other MEN. but. the ministry, of
souls, the duty Of teaching the law Of
God, the power Of aIrT!!listering holy
things, of celebrating I:ias=. Of abso}ving
from SHIN one word, the priesthood
are proper to the priest, as the represen-
tative of God. and are independent of
the virtue OF the negligence OF him who
holds this sacred trust. We should not
forget that there was one Jesus amongst
the twelve apostles; and when we re-
fleet on human weakness, we have rea-
son to thank God that there are SO few
priests iorgetfn Of their duties and I'M
worthy of their vocation.
Let men say what they please; there
is one fact which is perfectly apparent
and perfectly undeniable. Our priests
are, as rule, notwithstanding the many
impArfections imputed to them and
which are almost always greatly exag-
gerated, far better than other men.
They are more charitable to the unfor-
tunate. they lead a purer hfe-a more
virtucus life, a life more in conformity
with the law CT Godthat the lives of
those who surround them and who
often cry out most loudly against them.
If fact, how can their life be defined
Il rot as life Of self devotion and of
good works?
BY teaching our children to fear God,
to love Him, and to serve Him, do they
not constitute themselves the most eff
fectual guardians of the innocent and
virtue Of our names? Where is the
fahter or mother who would be uilwil-
ling for the priest to tell his child to be
pure, to shrink from evil, to be dutiful
and opedient, to fulfil his duties and to
pray to GodA-in one. word, to be a Chris
tian? Whera is the man who could fear
to have such counsel given to his wife?
And is 1t not pure wickedness to call
30 salutary an inuence Intrigue, and
scheming, and internleddling in family
secrets? t