The herald., 1896-09-28
AT THE CATHEDRAL.
An Eloquent Sermon by the Rev. Father
McAuliffe.

"Son, be ye of good heart, thy sins are
forgiven thee" (Matt. Xviii:2D was the
text of the Rev Father M. McAuliffe at
the Cathedral yesterday morning. The
speaker was never more earnest or elo-
quent. Indeed it was a strong and force
full sermon, the good father admitting
all mankind to be poor miserable sin
ners, points out the path by which the
kingdom of heaven-of righteousness
may be attained. The Cathedral was
well filled, while the music was unusu-
ally good.
These words of the Blessed Savior,
said the speaker were well calculated
to make the paralytic be of good heart,
for Christ not only healed him from his
bodily infirmity, which would render his
earthly life miserable, but forgave him
his sins. which, if unrepented of. would
make him eternally miserable. We can
partake of this blessing of the forgive
ness of sins now, even as then, for Christ
who came to seek and to save that which
was lost, has instituted means by
which all men can obtain the pardon of
their sins.
Faith teaches us that Christ founded
His church to perpetuate His work
among men. That He endowed His
apostles with the same power which He
Himself had received from His Eternal
Father; that He conferred upon them
the power of forgiving sins. Whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven
Them" ETC., John xx:23. And St. Luke
says: 'It behooved Christ to suffer and
rise the third day from the dead, that
penance and the remission of sins should
be preached in His name unto all genera
tions, beginning at Jerusalem" And
Isaias foretold that: 1.-THE people that
dwell fharaip II q in tba Catholic
church) shall have their iniquity taken
away from them" In the Catholic
church resides the power of forgiving
sin. This power, which Christ commit
ted to His apostles, did not die with
them, for there always will be men who
need forgiveness of sins; therefore il
| must continue to the end of time, and
| this power is possessed by the lawful
| successors of the apostles, the bishops
and priests of the Catholic church.
This wonderful prerogative was never
committed to creatures until God be-
came man, Jesus Christ, onr Lord, who
although He was true God, was the first
who as man received this gift from His
Eternal Father. THAT you may know y
says He, "that the Son of Man ha tn
power on earth to forgive sins, rise, take
up thy bed and go into thy house" AS
! God the Son became man to bestow on
men the power of forgiving sins, He
| communicated this power to the bishops
| and priests of His church. He forgave
sin by His sown authority; all others
by virtue of His authority delegated tc
| them as His ministers.
| This forgiveness of sins we owe to the
merits of Christ. Sin being transgres-
| sion of the divine law is an offense
| against God: therefore God alone car
| forgive it,. The remission of sin bears ar
exact analogy to the canceling of a
| debt. None but the creditor can forgive
| a debt so the. debt of sin which we owe
| to God. can be forgiven by Him alone. II
/ a, man cannot forgive an offense COM
| nitted against another man, much less
| could, Christ II he were only man for
] give onenses committed against God