The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-11-26
Chapel Services.
J. G.. NJ, Sec.


Catholic services were held in the
prison chapel Sunday, Rev. Father
Corcoran officiating. The services
opened by the congregation singing the
hymn aPrecious Promise Father Cor
coran read chapter from the "Disci
pline of Experience" after which the
choir sang the anthem keep Step
With the Master The lesson for the
day, the last Sunday after Pentecost,
was taken from the epstle of st. Paul
to the Collossians. After invocation
and reading of the gospel, Father Cor
coran delivered sermon on the Judg-
ment Day, in which he laid stress on
the moral necessity of ever keeping
in view the need of constant prepare
tion for meeting the Great Judge of
mankind.
OF all the prophecies of Christ, there
is none more terrible in its meaning
and majestic in its reality than that
which foretelIs the final Judgment of
men. On that day, when time shall
cease and eternity begin, Christ will
again appear on earth, coming not
as the Saviour but as the Judge of
mankind asking each to give an &C
count of the talents received from God,
of the opportunities for good that have
been presented and the use made of
allotted time in this life. When that
dread day arrives there can be no eva
sion, no deception, no excuses. The
one crucial test will be the purity of
our lives. and by this standard will
Judgment be decreed. every thought,
every act, everything in this life, for
or against u.s. will be unfOlded and
Judged at its true value. Every truth
or falsehoOd, all charity or seltishness,
all sincerity or hypocrisy and the vir-
tues or evils and sins of omission or
commission, of right or wrong living,
will be weighed in the balance and
Judgment pronounced, and from it
there will be no appeal, no hope of a
rehearing.
To prepare for the second coming of
Christ, is the duty we must daily have
in view. The opportunities for strength
ening the edifice of character are every
where presented and must be embraced
as priceless blessings vouchsafed to us
to adOrn and ennOble our lives and
render them acceptable in the sight of
God. We must emerge from the foul
Il of in{o hn iCh
shine of righteousness, and walk in the
paths that alone lead to happiness and
an abiding faith in the certainty of be-
ing rewarded for serving God and up
lifting our fellow men to realization
of the possibilities that lay before
them Into our thoughts we must take
the gracious influence of religion, re-
ject that which is harmful and study
to practice the lessons it teaches, the
examples it sets and the virtues it ex-
tolls. Through ridicule and through
difficulty the course of morality must
Doe followed, that of vice fought, until,
by self-conquest and sacrifices for prin-
ciple, we occupy the moral position
our Saviour has outlined as the one
which should be the central desire of
every Christian. All character, which
rs ennobled by virtue, must be built on
love of God and humanity and sus-
tanned through the allurements of
temptation and the discouragements
of difficulty. Human achievement is
attained only by resolution and faith
an final success. Repining can mend
no failure or despair brighten the av-
enues of effort. The hours of work
are at hand and in each should be
4hrown the full force of energy, of de-
termination and of sincere desire to