The Worcester spy., 1898-12-19

whose luminous DranCneS wave over All
nations and peoples letting in the light
where darkness ruled supreme and
causing those who rest beneath its
shade to confess that there alone is.
perfect peace and happiness, and that
its fruit alone contains the seed OF
life eternal Yes, this the mission that
has carried the great tidings to the
farthest parts of the world causing
those who were sitting in darkness and
in the gloomy shadows of death to re-
joice and walk securely in the light
of the living God This the mission that
has given laws to the barbarous and
tanned the savage heart-turning it
from the love Of mature up to natures
GOD" This the influence that has built
up the school and founded univer-
sites, and in the cause of humanity
has ever found means to feed the hun
CRY, to cloth the naked, to shelter the
homeless. This the mission that has
taught man stamped with the image
of God his true dignity, has ennobled
woman and raised her to her rightful
position in society and has ever faith
fully watched and guarded the sanCti-
ties of the family This the mission
that has pointed ever to the good, the
true and the beautiful in the midst of
a world tending always to follow the
dictates of a corrupt and fallen nature.
that strength, that charity which dons
all, which overcomes all when there is
a soul to enlighten, to comfort or to
save. He, in a word is directing,
guarding and assisting us in every
stage of our life. from the cradle to the
grave. His blessing it was that first
greeted our coming into life and his
fervent prayer commenting out depart
ing souls to the mercy of God will be
the last sound our dying ears will hear
as the shadows of death close thick
and fast around us Yes it will even go
farther, and the de profundis" will be
with the solemn sound of the
falling dust on our coffins in the grave.
Yes. truly the priest is the father of the
faithful, for he has begotten them in
Jesus Christ He stood at the door
of the church to receive us, awak-
ening into our natural life the life
of grace through the regenerating
waters of baptism. He it was who
watched and blessed our first tottering
footsteps, directing them in the path
of virtue, leading us on day by day to
the knowledge of ourselves and God,
till he made us strong and perfect
Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ,
by preparing us for the imposition of
the bishops hands in confirmation; and
when we went forth from the bishops
hands to take our part in the battle
of life, his fatherly care and solicitude
continued with US. He it was who
taught us the charms of virtue, the
beauty of innocence, the love of Cod
his the voice that was never silent, but
ever warning us against the dangerous
allurements of the world, and when
these proved too strong for poor, weak
human nature, and we seemed about
to be lost forever in that sea which the
world calls pleasure-ah! it is then that
he proved himself the good shepherd
following US in our many wanderings
and leading us back to the true fold,
binding up and healing the wounds in
ficted by the contact with the world
and the worlds opposing maXims.
And my friends, to exercise faith
fully and well this office of his mission,
what knowledge and prudence is re-
quiredl The physician of souls must
be conversant with it's various distem-
pers; he must know when to bind and
when to loose, for it was to the priest
alone that Christ said, Whatsoever
you shall bind on earth shall be bound
also in heaven, and whatsoever you
shall loose on earth shall be loosed also
in heaven" To them alone he said:
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are
forgiven them; but while exercising
this office of mercy, he has also to pour
the balm of consolation and hope into
the wounds of the afflicted soNl, for the
faithful discharge of which, what zeal,
abnegation of self, what generosity and
patience, what humility and charity
are needed to bear with the weakness
of the sinful and the waywardness of
the good. But he not only sits as
judge to forgive the accusing sin
ner in the tribunal of penance; he has
further to intercede as a mediator with
Cod for 1iyiOo, and the dead fO oh
tain their reconciliation and salvation
from him; for which purpose he offers
up the tremendous sacrifice and pure
obation of the new law-he renders
present on our affairs the body and
blood of Jesus Christ and distributes
it to the faithful and this is, my breth-
rem, the polar star in the heavens of
the priests prerogatives, around which
all the others cluster, from which they
draw their life-their light-their
worth. But if the priests mission,
| like that of Moses, is to stand before
| God to intercede for his people, he has
also to stand before the people to vim
| dicate the cause of God. For his mis-
sion requires that he not only ascend
daily the altar to plead for the people,
and to cry out with the prophet,
Spare, o Lord, spare thy people and
| give not thy inheritance to reproach, -
|
cate the claims which God has on his
| subjects. And surely to plead the
cause of God and virtue against the
| false maXims of the world and mans
unbridled passions is not an easy mis-
sion. The doctrine of the cross, to the
Jews a stumbling block and to the
Gentiles foolishness, is doctrine which
men least understand That a God
should die to Save them, is mystery
| ,ioR1
they should form a part of this sacrf-
flee by dying to themselves their pas
sions and their wills and desires, is a
| truth from which they reCoil, crying
out with the inhabitants of Caphar-
naum. This saying is hard and who
can hear it?" To preach self denial
and penance to a world immerged in
luxury; the doctrine of forgiveness and
fraternal charity to a people whose pas
sions know no restraint; to tell men
who almost worship riches that pow
erty for Christs sake is a virtue, that
meekness humility, chastity and char
ity must walk hand in hand in the
Christians daily life-is a mission in
which the priest could but vanly hope
to succeed. did he not say "Who is the
way, the truth and the life ?'-"I am
with you all days, even to the consum-
nation of the world" Consoled and
fortified by this divine assurance, how
confidently can the priest plead the
cause of God and immortal souls before
the tribunal of the world and its oppos-
ing maXimS, and men who. blinded by
their passions, are but too often the
worst enemies Of their own souls II
is then, l say. that the priest can hope
to convince his people that the path OF
virtue is to be followed, repulsive as il
may be to their natural inclinations
ln nd af