The Irish standard., 1895-05-04
Us APPRECIA1 Ind.
NM iss oiar OF All Who Suffer, hsrs
ssssS J1o Hotter Fs.,snd Of the FrIend-
l, NJ sssSss less Poor.
RoaD FOR TIE CHRISTIAN PRIEST.
A0atnst Him Are the Soottors and The
lrra.ig!oss, Enem'ns of COG E
IS si and Society. 4 It


q. tile appreciated, too often little loved
and sometimes frightfully illuminated late
andsyet who is, neverth eless,fJust the
one man who is most worthy OF. the
reverence and confidence of all, says
the Sacred Heart Review. This man
ais the Christian priest-the consolor OF
all who suffer, and the friend OF all the
friendless- it is against him that
the scoffing and the irreligious enemies
Of God and of society constantly en-
deaVor to prejudice the minds OF men.
The priest is attacked in this man
ner 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 His inconvenient preacher OF the
divine law, he 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 He Himself
was sent. Even as my Father has sent
me-" said Jesus to the apostles, His
first priests, 'I also send you" Jesus
WAS seat to save the world by the sac
riflce Of Himself, to enlighten by His
teachings, and to console by his mercy:
Aud thus He sends His priests to
save, instruct, console and sanctify their
brethren; or rather He Himself fultlls
by means OF His priests, His divine and
benifcent mission, speaking by their
mouths and deyeioping by their sacred
ministry, His divine life in the midst Of
them. Ministers Of God though they
axA, priests are however men. There
fore they are not perfect. Still more,
they can. il forgetful of their holy voca-
ton, tai! like the rest Of US into serious
faults; but their priestty 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 thesA in the priest
as In all other men: but the ministry, of
souls, the duty Of teacjit'lg the law of
God, the power Of administering holy
things, of celebrating riasss. Of absolving
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 iorgetful Of their duties and UNI
worthy of their vocation. 5.-S,
Let men say what they please; there
Is one fact which is perfectly apparent
and perfectly undeniahle. Our priests
are, as rule, notwithstanding the many
imperfections 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
yirtucus life. a life more in conformity
with the law CT God-that 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 not as life of self devotion and of
good works.? - !.
BY teaching orr 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 ulwil-
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? Where is the man who could fear
to have such counsel given to his wife?
And is 1t not pure wickedness to call
90 salutary an inuence intrigue, and
scheming, and intermeddling in family
sncrefa2 80