The herald., 1896-10-19
AT THE CATHEDRAL.
An Eloquent Sermon on Divine Grace
by Father Rooney.

Father Rooney delivered an eloquent
sermon on Grace at the Cathedral yes
terday morning. In part, he said:
BE strengthened in the Lord and in
the might of his power. In all
things taking the shield Of faith, where
with you may be able to extinguish all
the fiery darts of the most wicked ones"
(Ephesians, vi, 1919.
MANS life on earth," says Job, us
a warfare" and the apostle declares to
us that "our wrestling is not against
flesh and blood, but against principali-
ties and powers, against the rulers OF the
world of this darkness, against the sp1r-
it of wickedness in high places"
Man has been placed in this world
| for his probation. His whole duty here
| consists in loving, serving and ador1ng
| God. Every act OF his should tend to this
| glorious end, and heaven for all eternity
| is to be his reward.
Man, since the fall of Adam, is in
clined to iniquity. He has within him
passions that are ever seeking for for
hidden pleasures. He has the world all
around him, impelling him on to the
gratifying of those disorderiy passions.
Then there are the powers In high places,
the principalities, the spirits of dark
ness, who are ever plotting and
ever working for his destruc-
tion. Considering man by and in him
self, the struggle would be altogether
unequal, for, in and by himself, man
'is poor and naked and blind and mis-
erable." The means to be used to reach
heaven are and must be supernatural,
and these come to us, not from our
selves, but from Jesus Christ, our Sa-
vior. The Savior has positively de-
clared that without him we can do
absolutely nothing toward the obtain
ment of eternal beatitude. Hence, it is
clear that it is on the helps of Jesus that
we must rely If we desire to reach heav-
en-. Thanks to the love and mercy of
Jesus Christ. our Savior, the superna-
tural means to enable us to reach heav-
en- and to overcome all impediments
hell are within our reach. The apostle
tells us that the grace of Jesus Christ
is sufficient for us under all circum-
stances for the end in view. The same
holy apostle warns us to take unto our
selves the shield of faith" and predicts
matter how fierce the opposition against
us.
But what does faith teach us in re-
gard to our salvation, and what does
it require of us? Faith teaches that
without Jesus we can do nothing toward
our salvation, and that there is no other
name by which it can be obtained
Faith proclaims that we must watch
and pray, for our adversary, the devil
goeth about, like roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour." Faith boldly
declares that in our contest with the
foes referred to we need not hope for
victory If we rely upon ourselves and
that our victory must come from Jesus
Christ. On him alone we must depend
and to him we must have recourse for
the means that will enable us to discom-
fit and rOut our enemies. I have said
pra nf O1Ir M,
is the weapon, the shield, the helmet,
that we must employ in every contest
with our bitter foes. But what is grace !?
The holy Scriptures, tradition and the
church Of God explain grace to be a
supernatural and gratuitous gift
either habitual or actual, which is super,
added to our natural powers or facul-
ties In three propositions, behold.
Christians, what faith proclaims of
grace: First-In the order of salvation
we can do nothing without grace, and
hence it's necessity Second-In the or
der of salvation, with grace we can at
tend to every duty and overcome every
difficulty, and therefore it's efficacy
Third-1n the order of salvation, grace
does nothing without our co-opera ton
and consent, hence our perfect liberty
under the government OF grace.
Grace is so necessary that without II
we cannot resist the violent temptations
by which we are SO often through life
assailed. Nor can we, once we have
become the enemies of God by sin. be
again restored to his friendship without
its assistance. Indeed, it would be cas-
ier for the dead in their graves to raise
themselves to life than for sinners who
have broken the bond of union in the
supernatural order between themselves
ana God to renew by an effort of their
own the seal of adoption. 1t must be
forever remembered that we are Gus
titled gratis by Gods grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
More than this. the greatest saints on
earth would cease to be saints the mo-
ment grace would desert them. In fine.
grace Is so necessary that without 1t.
in matters of our salvation, we cannot
perform satisfactorily even the easiest
things. What can be conceived more
easy than to pronounce tha name of