The herald., 1896-10-05


Connection between prayer and the COM
mandments, and the dependence that
the observation of the commandments
has with the exercise Of prayer. Prayer,
is the breath OF q good life, and 1t is
as impossible to keep the laws of God
without prayer as 1t is to live without
breathing. Time and again has Christ
declared the absolute necessity of
prayer. Pray always and never faint.
St. Paul in his epistle to the Thessa-
lonians writes: Pray without ceasing-
pray without intermission. He showed
the concordance Of the rosary with
prayer. He strongly inculcated the
practice of the rosary as wonderful in
centive to true prayer and as a means
Of causing us to live the higher life of
holiness. We must suppose not only as
theologicallX- certain but as a principle
of faith, that to observe whatever divine
precept two assistances are necessary
--one on the part of God, the other on
the part OF man. On the part of God,
the influx of his grace; on the part of
man, the consent of the free will. The
rosary is great means which will ena-
BILE men to obtain this grace and cause
us to subject our will to the will of
God. The rosary has aptly been styled
the Bible of the poor. 1t is an epitome
of the Gospel, wherein the simplest in
telligence can grasp the sublime truths
upon which our holy religion is based.
1t is composed Of fifteen decades, cor
responding to fifteen mysteries, COM
memorative of the life, suffering, death
and resurrection of Christ. 1t consists
Of the repetition of the same prayers
the Our Father and Hail Mary But
why this repetition? Because the en-
ergy and strength Of prayer lies in per-
severance. Have you ever stood on the
shores OF the ocean? Have you ever no.
ticed the waves as they hurl and dash
themselves against the land? You must
have observed that the waves that are
following give force and add impulse
to the waves that are going before. So
it is with prayer Repeated and multi
piled one upon the other, they beat with
restless vigor against the throne of
God,and he hearkens to them with pleas
ure and finally is constrained to grant
our requests. Prayer without attention
is but the hollow mockery of prayer.
but the exercise of the voice-mere
words. empty words, and nothing more.
Prayer to be efficacious must spring
from the sacred silence of the heart.
The rosary is prayer most pleasing to
God. Recited with attention and devo-
tion, it will infallibly bring down up
on us the blessings of the Almighty.
AT ST. VINCENT'S CHURCH.
The feast of the most holy rosary was
SSlCOlatCu dG 81. lHCSnl yCSNCIu Iudy
The sermon was delivered by Rev.
Father Thomas A. Rooney Of San Fran
cisco Of the Dominican order. The altars
were adorned with pink and white CO.'S
mos, smilax, and appropriate to the oc-
casion, with many roses, while myriads
of candles gave forth soft light. The
reverend fathers text was as follows:
Now, all good things come to me to-
gether, with her, and innumerable riches
through her hands. s."-Wisdom will.
He said in part: These words Of the
wise man, which directly refer to wis
dom, are applied by the church of God
to the ever-bessed Virgin Mary as the
channel and dispenser Of all the bless
ings of heaven to man. Holy and learn
ed writers apply these same words to the
glorious confraternityl Of the rosary
the favorite confraternity Of heaven
and OF the church. But what is the
meaning of the rosary confraternity :
What does it signify? What end has it
in view? The confraternity of the ro-
sary is defined to be congregation or
society of the faithful, of persons of
both sexes, of all classes and ranks in
the church, who for their own advan-
tage and that Of the church, are banded
together as If with one heart and with
one body, for the purpose of imploring
the all-powerful intercession Of the
most holy mother of God with her Son,
Jesus Christ, of veneratfng her with
special worship and of adoring our Lord
and Savior by processing special devo-
ton to the rosary and all pious practices
connected with it.
Although each particular society Of
the rosary confraternity properly and
economically established in church, can
and ought to be called a confraternity
it should however, be well understood
that the different associations that are
to be found all over the world form, rig
orously speaking, but one society, and
are but so many ramifications of the
great confraternity of the holy rosary,
which is established in Rome, at the
Minerva convent, to which they are all
united as to their center.
The confraternity of the rosary was
founded by st. Dominic himself. 1t sUr-
passes all others as to origin. antiquity,
advantages and celebrity. 1t holds first
place and is honored as the leading one
of all by the church.
There are some people who erroneous
ly imagine that this confraternity Is in
existence for the purpose Of honoring
and generating only the blessed mother;
let them take care to Danish from their
minds SO wrong an idea. God is the
beginning, the middle and the end Of this
sublime association, but Mary has her
special, noble place also in it. One of the
most striking characteristics of the ro-
sary devotion is that it places Mary pre-
cisely where God, the church, saints and
doctors have ever placed her, viz, al
ways with and alongside of her adorable
Son, our Savior. Jesus came into the
world and gave Himself to us through
Mary; He manifested Himself to the
shepherds and the magi with Mary. The
Lords prayer begins the rosary. In
deed, the whole rosary has been ar
ranged and ordained for the purpose of
obtaining most readily what is petition
ed for in the Our Father. 1t is certain
that the excellence of this prayer is not
only Incompatible, but also divine, and
consequently that the wisdom of the ro-
sary is divine in inviting us to recite 1t
in the very beginning of this sublime de-
votion. 1t was Jesus Christ Himself who
taught us from His own moutG this
prayer, and hence, by antonomasia, it
is called the Lords prayer, and in all
truth these words of divine wisdom are
applicable to it. II came out of the
mouth of the Most High" (Eccles xiv,
81 The Lord having commanded US to
pray, and to pray often, 1t Is clear that
by the regular recitation of the rosary
by the members of the confraternity,
fection. AS the Our Father is divine by
reason of it's author, so 1t is by rSason ts
its object. AS Jesus Christ did not wish
to come into the world except through
Mary; as after His birth He did not wish
TO manifest Himself except with His
mother to the shepherds and magi; so
also as the holy. fathers teach, He ordi-
narily comes into hearts only through
Mary, and permits Himself to be found
only through her. Mary is certainly our
mediatrix with her Son as He Is our me-