St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-17
so SAYS THE ARCHBISHOP.
TIMELY DISCOURSE DELIVERED
BY HIM AT THE CATHEDRAL
YESTERDAY MORNING.
SELF - DENIAL AN ESSENTIAL
tratnt Ii Not as a Punish-
meut.

Archbishop Ireland preached a Lenten
sermon at the Cathedral yesterday
morning, its keynote being the Duty
Of Self-Denial." He said:
Inc announcement OF Lent is the procla-
nation OF great and solemn principles of
morals ana rehglon. 1t is the proclamation
OF mans spiritual life and Of Gods abidiug
justice. Man is body and SOUL matter and
spirit a being of earth and being of heaven.
The spirit is by divine appointment the ruler.
The province of the body, OF it's passions
and concupiscences, is to obey. Where the
body obtains the mastery there is animal
ism; where the spirit reigns there is the
hlgner life or the skies. Mans existence on
earh is continuous warfare-the shirt
warning with the body. The pagan Ovid
and the Christian Paul speak in almost sim
liar terms OF this warfare, from which no
one escapes Now, TO assure the victory of
the spirit there is needed practice drill
SO that when the moment of battle comes the
spirit Is able to hold last the reins and DOM
mate the body. An here we perceive the
purpose OF self-denial, which means the de-
priVlng ourselves OF some pleasure or COM
tort the use of which is in itself licit. Where
seH-oenlal Is customary the senses give
prompt oDeolence, and in presence of strong
temptation TO sin, in presence of the Illicit
the spirit trlumphs with ease. II we give
rein 10 appetite up to the very borderland of
me forbidden, without ever checking it,
we are lost; 1t will grow bold and defiant
anu carry US beyond the border land. Nor
must we lose sight of our own sinfuIness
ana OF Gods Justice. We have sinned nv
yIeiuihg TOO much to our sensual appetites
WIN all GODS mercies forgiveness will NOT
S. " US LOT the mere asking. A contrite
ueart, ueep and earnest sorrow a moral
TRANSFORMATION OF the SOUL are the condi
uons Oh Gods mercies. No PRAYERS no sac
rahehts, no ceremonies will bring back Gods
grace 10 the sinners soul unless this rnoroI
transformation through sorrow for rho Dast
ana through resolve to do good In the frTure
mas taken place in our souls. This sorrow
IL ueep ana earnest, will manifest itself in
exterior acts, ii will lead us tn offer some
PREPARATION to divine Justice and 10 emf ofy
IN ourselves the causes of sin These causes
were our unbridied appetites, which now we
uuent 10 PUNISH by restricting them even in
the enjoyment of the licit
Self-denial whether as a practice Of the
sun IN curDlng the appetites, or as q pun
iShHnent Tor sin, is one of the cardinal teach
i ns OF Chflsts gospel. 1t is evident that
Christ was messenger from heaven and
counted for the success Of His teaching on
the truth OF His words, and not on human
means. A mere human teacher would have
Soiiena 70 MAKE MAKE the way pleasant to his
loiloWers This Mohammed did Christ's
oHer TO men was that they take I'D their
cross and follow Him. They were to he
olsclpies OF a crucified master. Strange lam
suage. mat OF Christ. falling upon Grecian
anu roman ears, accustomed to songs of
triumph In honor of deities, which were the
personlncations Of human passionsi Christ
triumphed by the cross; the world was re-
ohco ny the cross, SIN CONQUERED
ana virtue restored to earth by the cross
The church would forget her divine origin
anu her dlvlne life were she not TO preach
aloud self-denial. She tells, indeed, of divine
peace sucn as the world cannot give; but this
peace follows the combat and the triumnb
OF the spirit over the flesh Throughout her
story during 1000 years she spoke of fasting,
OF abstainfng, of modification of the body of
crucifxion of concupiscence. One of her
earliest institutions, reaching backward to
apostolic days, is that of Lent, a season of
5ast Oh forty days, In commemoration of
Christ's fast in the desert during forty DAYS
and forty nights. With what severity to the
appetite the Lent observed by the early
Shfistlans, we learn from the writings of the
rather s-Christ1ans being strictly bound to
use food only once a day, after the setting of
the sun. c
The regulations of the Lenten season enter
into minute details to what food is allowed
on the different days of the week Whv these
details? Why not leave to each Christian to
mark out for himself how much or how
little OF self-denial he may practice? The rea-
son OF the church's action is clear: Left to
ourselves, we would do little fasting, prac-
ucally none. To ourselves we are too in
dulgent; all circumstances we would interpret
In our own favor; Lent would be mere name
The church is not mere teacher of princi-
pies; she is a guide and mother. She has our
salvation to heart, and to effect this she comes
down to smallest things having solely in
view our needs, Those Lenten regulations
which have been read to you show the church
in her true light as the careful custodian
VI our Soul, anu prudent guide TO all her
children in the working out of this salvation.
The duty of Catholics in Lent is to observe
the regulations to the letter, swerving neither
to right nor to left, fearing no pain or dis
comfort, seeking no exemptions, where rea-
sons Tor exemptions are not plainly present.
Some people make complaints that they can
not fast or abstain, because by so doing they
bring themselves some pain suffering. Such
complaints are absurd. The whole purpose of
Lenten Is that We do punish our senses. that
we do bring some suffering to our bodies.
We must go beyond the letter of the regula-
tons and live out Lent in the plenitude of
the spirit of holy church. 1t is a season of
penance, Of spiritual life, of devotion. Let
us separate ourselves from worldly Joys and
amusements, give ourselves to prayer, to pious
reading, 10 good works. 1t must be plain to all
who see and know us that we are observing
Lent While each one will choose for oneself
penltent1al works, as opportunities may die
tate beyond the prescribed regulations, let me
indicate few practices which l earnestly rec
ommend: Special church services will be he'd
on certain evenings of the week; attend these.
On Friday evenings the beautiful and soul
stirring devotion of the Way of the Cross re-
minding us wildly of the sufferings and
death of the Savior. is held in all churches.
Few should be absent from this devotion. In
each home the whole family together should
recite the Rosary. And to all, young and old
men and women, with whom total abstinence
from alcoholic beverages is not already
habitual, l earnestly recommend this total
abstinence Let Lent be among Catholics a
season of total abstinence from alcohol of all
kinds.