The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-11-12
Chapel Services.

Divine services were held in the pris-
on chapel on Sunday, Rev. Father Cor
coran officiating. Services opened by
the congregation singing the hymn
.'The Gospel Bells" A chapter from
"The Discipline of Experience was
read by the chaplain, after which the
choir sang the anthem "Teach Me .
Lord" The lesson for the day, the
twenty fourth Sunday after Pentecost,
was taken from the epistle OF st. Paul
to the Colossians. chapter III. 12-17.
After invocation and reading OF the
gospel. Father Corcoran preached
forcible sermon on the duties OF life,
beginning by explaining the relation
religion holds between God and man,
and mans duty to both.
This life is field wherein God has
sown the seeds of love, righteous hv-
ing and His divine inspiration. TO us
He has intrusted the duty Of cutiva-
ting the blessings He has bestowed
upon this life, and preparing our souls
for the spiritual existence promised In
immortality. We receive our souls
from God pure and sinless. unsoiled by
vice and untouched by the lusts OF the
flesh. 10 preserve them in this state,
through temptation and through trial,
is moral duty God has placed on us
all. taught by our Savior and forming
the very essence of Christianity.
Against the power of evil, with It's
saturnalia of sin, vice and crime is ar
rayed Christianity, armed with right,
truth, divine love and the promise OF
future reward. These two forces con-
tend for the mastery of the soul; the
one fighting under various specious
CARDS, alluring and destroying, the 9th
er marshalled under the banner of
Christ, forgiving and saving.
Temptation is what tries our moral
| strength, and reflects our faith in the
precepts laid down for life's guidance.
1t is easy to remain virtuOus when
prosperity is smiling, when trouble
, is far removed and when there is no
shadow of a cloud to darken the bright
3 sunshine of happiness that may be our
e lot. but when adversely displaces pros
r perity and poverty wealth, it is then
Y the crucial test of character is made.
I To refuse to steal under necessity, to
: refrain from swearing in anger and to
s speak truth when seeming profit would
a result from falsehood are the noblest
\ achievements of Christian. The pow
: er for resisting temptation resides in
t the moral nature and is developed by
: studying the commands of God, His
e purpose and the example of the life OF
|. Christ. The nearer we live in accord
J. ance with the commands of divine law
O the nearer we live to God, and the
e surer we are of His favor in this life
r as well as in the life to come.
!. 10 do that duty which concerns us
e most, and not be day-dreaming on some
= unattainable fancy, is the first 'and
d most important duty of all. The man
j. who can find nothing to do in this
O world, teeming as it is with moral anC
l. intellectual activities, is out of tune
e with humanity, religion and God. The
n field of endeavor is wide and fruitful
It inviting the worker to the harvest
n with the promise of rich reward
d the reward of peace, of happiness ant
e. of life we'll spent In our sphere of &C
70 ton, we can always find someone tt
J. help, someone to advise and someon'
to cheer, and as this duty is performed
with true faith and true spirit, so will
our spiritual reward be measured.
Father Corcoran concluded his ser
mon by reminding his hearers that re
ligion asked no one to do the impossi
BILE, but commanded that sin onl!
be avoided, and in this lay al
that constitutes high character, nobl
manhood and womanhood and obedi
~ ence to Gods will. Services ended b.
IL the congregation singing the hymn
10 "To the Work"