The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-02-15
CARDINAL GIBBONS LAMENTS ITS
TOO FREQUENT ABSENCE.
MANY Men Think They Can Throw Prin-
ciple to the Winds Where Politics Is
concerned No Political Issue That
Noes Not Involve a Moral Question
lessons to Be Learned From the
poverty of the Mother Of JeSuS-USe
and Abuse of Wealth.

and ABUSE Vi WSditns
In , recent sermon at the Cathedral. i'll
Baltimore Cardinal Gibbons spoke earnestly
nj the value and necessity OF fidelity to
nrincjple, especially on the part OF poll
t;cans and public officials. GLOW refresh
ing and yet alas, how rare, y he said is
that ideal of a true man which is given by
q Pagan poet, He is always just and tena-
cious Of principle, in political life, in social
life and in his domestic life. Too many
politicians fail to be tenacious of principle
in their political life. They think they
can throw their principles to the winds
,ybara notifies is in question, as il politics
had not a moral side. There is no polit'cal
issue of importance that does not Involve
moral question | read within the last lew
DAYS an illustration of this men almost
hoasting that they have carte blanch to
override all law where politics comes IN,
and that the moral law has no place where
nolitics is concerned. O, happy Is tn" man
who stands firm for what he considers
principle in his political life.
"our Lord says that 'f any one deny
me before men. | will deny him before my
Father, who is in heaven; and II any one nc
knowleges me before men, will acKnowl-
epe him before my Father in heaven; and
Iafpra Will
confess him before my Father IN heaven.
We remember Joseph coat of many colors,
no doubt the handiwork of his mother,
Rachel. 1t was found stained with blood,
As though some wild beast had killed the
bow, and it was all torn. Our Saviour has
given us, His children garment OF white,
emblem of innocence, luminous garment,
made for us by our spiritual mother. 1t,
like Joseph's coat of many colors, has be-
come defled and torn
The Cardinal sermon was based on the
lesson for the day, which was the account
of the presentation Of the infant Jesus in
the Temple, in accordance with Levitlcal
law In speaking of the poverty OF Mary,
who was obliged to present two doves as
an offering instead of the usual lamb, the
Cardinal said that wealth could learn
valuable lesson from this and the poor
find consolation Then he spoke OF the
Mother of Jesus as follows: "The fact is
that the relations of the Blessed Motht r to
,nl,a ipta t,yin that If
impossible to separate them, and we very
seldom mention Mary without speaking OF
her Divine Son, nor of Jesus without refer
ring to His Mother. What would the
home in Nazareth he without the presence
of mother and son? What would the great
tragedy OF Calvary be If there we should
separate mother and son? Nazareth would
not be home if Mary was not there; and
that scene on Calvary would lose some o.
its solcmnity and some OF the most tender
incidents il we should fail to contemplate
Mary at the foot of the cross. So to-day,
in speaking of Mary in the Temple, we
would naturally ask where was the young
child then, and if, at the presentation, the
babe Jesus had been brought by some one
else than His Blessed Mother, the question
would naturally be asked, Where is Mary,
His mother? They are together in Bethle-
hem, in Nazareth, at the marriage feast in
Cana of Galilee, in the Temple in Jerusa-
lem in exile in Egypt, and together at the
cross. find them mentioned together in
the Apostles and in the Nicene Creeds,
and it is meet and just and right that they
should together fill a place in our hearts
affections, for what God has Joined together
let not man put asunder.
"What flood of light this inability to
buy lamb pours upon the humble home
of the mother of Jesus of Nazareth; it tells
of the plain furniture, the frugal meal and
humble surroundings. Let us mediate on
this, and learn lesson therefrom. The
mother Of the Lamb of God had not where
with to buy a lamb for the sacrifice or puri-
fication to Him who is the owner of the
earth and the fulness thereof. Poverty
has lost its ignomny since that sacrifice o
turtle doves was offered. Wealth may be-
come chain binding us to it and to the
earth as to an idol, or it may become
golden chain binding us to heaven 1t may
become chain of iron binding us to the
world, when we use wealth only for our
pleasure, or it may become beautiful
chain of gold, when we employ it in charity
and in the service of God"