Evening journal., 1896-12-29


TINE BY THE JESUIT MISSION
AIRY IN HIS SERMON on SUNDAY.
The learned Jesuit missionary and
preacher. Father OKane. who is now /
conducting mission for married |
women at St Peters Church. delivered /
an eioquent sermon on Sunday morn !
ing on the prerogatives of the Blessed /
Virgin Mary.
Al this season of the year he said, /
when the world is glowing with the
ioys of Christmas tide because OF q !
Saviour born to mankind, II is appro- !
priate and fitting TO link with the glor-
les of the son the honors of the mo-
ther and he took for his text the YER
sicle from the Magnihcat, that divine
poem uttered by the blessed virgin
under the direct inspiration of God, the
Holy Ghost. Behold from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
Whatever claims may be laid by any
one to a literal fultillment of the Holy
Scriptures. he said surely none VIII
denv that this beautiful prophesy is
strictly and literally fulfilled by the
Catholic Church The affairs. the stat
mes. the sodalitles. the confraterniues
existing in every church in the world,
show the unanimity with which Catho-
lies of every age and generation call
the mother OF God blessed among
women From this fact the critics OF
the church, either from perverse hearts
or persistent ignorance, accuse MS OF
according honOrs 10 the blessed virgin
properlv attributable TO God alone. The
season is too full of peace and joy to
grow contentious.
II will suffice to say that they at
tribute to us principles we do not pro-
fess. Every Catholic knows that
through Christ alone is mankind re-
deemed through Christ alone was
made the Divine Atonement The re-
tdemption OF man, fraught with results
so momentous 10 humanity. inspires
us with devotion to persons and things
proximately or remotely connected
with that august mystery. Hence we
hold in generating love the cross on
which was hung our Christ, the crown
that tore His sacred temples, the nails
that pierced His hands and feet the
spear that cleaved His sacred side, the
winding sheet in which His holy form
was laid This honor to these accom-
panying accidents of the great tragedy
is paid them, not because of any in
trinsic worth they possess, but solely
and simply because of their close and
intimate connection with our dear
CHRIST and His holy agony For a
similar, but greater reason do we
honor the blessed virgin. We do not
confound her with the Creator Be
lieving her sinless. we still hold her to
be merely a creature, though an incom-
parable one; separated from the divin-
ity by that impossible gulf separating
the creature from the Creator.
While we place these limitations
around our blessed lady, nothing win
lead us to minimize the great part she
took i'm the scheme of the worlds re-
demption. That great plan was not a
mathematical point, an isolated fact
bat il was a series. a connected link of
great emprises beginning in paradise
and ending on Calvary. From the time
that the great offense was offered to
God by His ungrateful creature so
richly endowed by Him. an infinite
atonement was demanded for so inf
mite a wrong Man could not offer il
for any atonement offered by man, a
finite creature would necessarily be less
than infinite A God man. son OF
God. and at the same time son of man
flesh like our flesh blood like oui
blood. was needed. The God-head in.
finite in its wisdom. conceived the plar
to save man from his own destructiv,
work, and infinite In its boundlesi
mercy. stood ready TO endure the suf
ferings OF the eXpiation. The God-heaC
would walk in the ways OF flesh and
mothers womb was sought Tor the in
carnate word The birth of the God
man in the order of nature without
mother is inconceivahle.
Mary was a necessary. indispensable
essential part in the divine plan o
mercy and redemption John the Bap
tist though heralded by the prophet
as the Lords forerunner. was not nee
essary Bethlehem with its stable wa
not necessary; Nazareth with its hum
BILE home was not necessary. Calvar
with its cross was not necessary: Mar
alone. as the portal of God. was IN
sole necessary creature In the divin
plan OF redemption. Il was becaus
OF this prominent part in the redemr
tion made known % her by the ang,
that she was led TO claim for hersel
such vast and mighty honcrs. With
confidence founded ia certainty sh
prophesies that she shall be blesse
among women. Never before did m
great cnes Of the earth claim for then
selves the mighty scope of such vas
honors. Plato with his philosoph
mounting higher than uninspired min
had ever mounted before. Aristot
mastering the hidden secrets of Sc
ence Caesar with his power Of stat
craft; Augustus on the throne OF en-
pires. none of the great ones inumi
ing hstory's page accorded themselv,
the lasting honors claimed by tn
humble, simple. gentle peasant maid
Palestine And why did she so humb
claim honors SO great? She answe
herself: Because He that is mighl
hath done great things to me-"
For such cause do we honor her. &C