The Irish standard., 1896-03-21

never be eradicated from their hearts
and in those countries in which they
found new home in this grand republic
| in Austria, England, Scotland, Canada
and other countries, they have erected
| innumberable affairs to their God, upon
which the "clean oblations,' foretold by
| the prophet, Malachy, lis offered uI
| from the rising of the sun to the going
down thereof On each recurring feast
of st. Patrick our attention, as a matter
| of fact, is especially attracted by the
| life and labors Of him to whom the Cath.
ollie Irish are indebted for the saving
faith.of Christ. Other nationalities honor
their apostles-those who have been sent
to them by Almighty God with the mes.
sage of peace and the gracious law OF
love; but Ireland honors her apostle not
only with the ordinary honors Of feast
and song. and prayer, but likewise with
a special and extraordinary fidelity and
devotion to the doctrine which st. Pat
rick brought them, and a close following
Of the example which he set them, while
he walked among their forefathers four
teen centuries ago. And when we come
to examine the reasons why st. Patrick
was so blessed by Almighty God as to
obtain the apostolate to SO faithful and
dccile people, a people who were con-
verified to the faith without the shedding
Of a single drop of blood, or without
bringing shame or sorrrOw upon their
apostle; and on the other hand, why the
Irish people were SO blessed in such an
apostle, as St. Patrick, we can find one
satisfactory explanation of this mutual
happiness in the holy manner in which
ST. Patrick reproduced the example OF
his divine Lord and Master When ST..
Patrick, in his, sixtieth year, returned to
Ireland as It's apostle. he was sent by st.
Ce1estine, Pope of Rome, and vicar OF
Christ upon earth to a people at whose
hands he had suffered all the indignities
of a slave at time Of life when wrong
and injustice make their most lasting
impression on the soul of one neekly
sensitive to injustice, between the Six
teenth and twenty second year-when
the passion for revenge makes it's burn
ing marks on the soul NnshieldCd by
Gods grace But Patrick. the apostle,
had long forgiven the injuries inflicted by
the Irish king, Mall of the nine hostages.
and the princes and people of Ireland
upon Patrick the noble boy-captive and
youthful slave Following the example of
his Master he had forgiven and prayed
for his enemies, and now he was come
back, loving example of the precepts
of the gospel, laden with the special
graces and choicest blessings of heaven:
to this people who had unjustly laden
him in his younger days with indignities
and chains. Truly he is come obeying
the injunction of his Master-"Do good
to them that peisecute YOU" And the
other great mark. of the true disciple OF
Christ was equally prominent in the life
N,; io1 VIII othNr MO
view him as an old man of nearly ninety
years ascending CROUCH Patrick to spend
the forty days of lent, on it's cold summit,
or travelling on foot through the length
and breadth of the land, or spending his
days and nights in prayer in that lonely
island of Tough Derry. still called Pat
rick's Purgatory, we are struck with the
austerity of his self-abnegation. Patrick
not only preached the true gospel in its
entirety to the Irish people; but he also
practiced it in their midst for sixty years.
His life before their eyes was an example
of every virtue and, like every good ex-
ample, it bore great fruits Of sanctity
among the people. When Patrick came
to Ireland to preach the gospel in A. d..
432 he found an educated race. There
were among them renowned orators,
bards, philosophers, and statesmen.
They were rich in the knowledge of the
sciences and arts OF that day, and famous
for their prowess skill and success IN
war. Their laws, the Brehon code, were
grounded on the eternal principles OF
natural right and justice; and though
they were pagans worshiping the sun as
the visible object of unseen power IN the
heavens. and the oak as the emblem of
strength upon the earth, yet their minds
were logically trained SO that they could
readily understand the science OF theol-
osv and the harmonious revelation. In
addition to their Intellectual cultivation
their hearts were naturally good, so that
thew presented a good field for the semi
nation of, the word of God. Men with
naturally good parts are always the pest
subjects for supernatural perfection.
st, Patrick began his preaching before
the high king of Ireland and his assem-
b1ed chiefs, bards and councillors on the
hills of Tara in royal Meath, and the SUB
lime truths of Christianity captivated the
inte1lects and hearts Of his hearers. = he
made use Of the simplest things IN nature
ia illustrate. the most stupendous mys-
+er.es Of God. using the little shamrock.
that grew at his feet with its three dis
tinct leaves as a sensible symbol to con-
yev to the intellects of his hearers the
knowledge of the unity Of the Godhead
and vet the distinct personality OF each OF
the three divine persons OF the Blessed
Trinity. From the eternal principles 81
their jurisprudence he raised their minds
to the knowledge OF the existence OF the
one eternal necessary. Being upon whom,
as upon a fundameElt OF their existence,
all things depend. From the eternal ma
ture of justice in the abstract, and the
fallible nature of human judgments, ne
drew them on to the acknowledgements OF
the necessity of concrete infallible judy
nnent so that Justice would be absolutely
secured And then the revelation OF the
Judgment on the last day, where justice
will be perfectly and infallibly satisfied
From the visible things around them on
the earth and in the heavens, not one OF
which could create itself, he pointed out
the absolute necessity Of Creator. Fror1
the various motions of things terrestrial
and celestial he proved that there must
be a first mover, a first cause not only Of
all things. but also of their various modes
of action. From the regularity and har-
ntony OF the motions of the earth and
heavenly bodies, producing the most Won
derful phenomena in the heavens and On
the earth, successive seasons, the alterna-
ton of day and night, the variation in
the length of the day and night through
OFT The wear. and vet remain ing precisely