The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-09

Not a friend, not a comforter raises his
head before him. except those whose
sorrow only aggravates His own. His
mother and His beloved disciples. His
little property is all in the hands of his
enemies. who are unfeelingly amusing
themselves at the foo of the cross by
casting lots over his wretched spells.
But what Is all his to the abandon
ment and desolation which His o u
now feels, For Him IL was little that
the world should have forsaken Him.
or conspired against Him, as long as
He was supported by His Heavenly
Father. But this consolation liz now
withdrawn. he hangs between heaven
and earth. he feels Himself placed be-
tween man and his offending Deity,
abandoned by both. unpitied by both.
and after looking In vain o Him
on earth, to gather some mite of con-
ISOLATION here below. he casts up His
responding eyes toward heaven and ex-
claims I'm his last burst of sorrow and
distress: My God. my God. why hast
thou forsaken me?' But He ind no
answer. Divinity has hidden itself. d.
vinity has withdrawn from Him hose
interior consultations which IL formerly
dispensed to Him: He must suffer and
endure all and more than any man
could suffer or endure. SO that he may
pay the iul1nitt utDt VI Sii-iduth no-
manity.
But bark. nothe word falls from
the pale lips of the Goldman expiring
on the cross. 1t is consummated.' A
short sentence indeed. but an instruct
i've and comprehensive one. Yes. my
lear Jesus. all that thou hast begun
is finished. The p~rophesies are real
ICED. That life Of self-sacrifce. of la
bors. of tolls. is finished: thine enemies
have exhausted their insults. thy tor
ments from the heartless brutal
Jewish rabble. and the more studied
and systematic mockery of Roman SOL
diery; the cruel blows. the scourging
at the pillar. the browning with thorns.
the painful journey to Calvary are at
an end: thy dearest treasure has been
commended to the loving care of the
faithful disciple. thou art done with
the world. all Ii contaminated. The
bitter chalice. before which thy hui
manity trembled in the Garden Of
Olives. is exhausted n emptied to
the very dregs, the battle with hell and
sin Is ended: the redemption of our
sinful race is accomplished; heaven
and earth are ~reconciled: the gates of
paradise hal opened; a new and ever
lasting covenant Is sealed in the blood
OF the crucifed Redeemer. Truly all Is
contaminated.
But behold, Our Saviour again
opens his mouth: He speaks his ina
words. Attend to them as they re-
sound loudly through the universe:
Father, into thy hands / commend my
spirit
THE last moments of our Lords
agony have arrived. The sufferings on
the cross have been endured with per-
feet patience and resignation. He has
pardoned his enemies and given the
consoling promise of paradise to the
penitent thief; with true nlial devotion
has He cared for His mother: He has
stood unexpressible ~desolation of soul.
whilst he was abandoned not only by
men. but even by His Almighty Father;
He has expressed His thirst for our sal
vation: He truly has exclaimed and
professed that all was contaminated.
Nothing is left Him but His life: moth
ing but that vital spark animating His
bruised n lacerated body; this. too,
He resigns in the hands of His Father.
and not in the low and gasping groans
of a dying man. but with the clear and
powerful cry of the Sovereign Lord and
Master OF the Universe. who controls
life and death and sacrifices himself
willingly for the salvation of a sinful
world. he exclaims. Father. into thy
hands l commend my spirit
After the last supper before entering
the Garden of Olives, the high priest
OF the new law prayed thus: Holy
Father. keep them in my name. Whom
Thou hast given me, preserve them
from evil. but not alone for them do
j pray. but for all those who through
their words shall believe in me- And
in this still more solemn hour, the hour
OF his death, he exclaims: Father.
into Thy m l commend my spirit.
and with IL / commend to Thee all my
brethren, the children of men. To thy
mercy / commend the sinner: to thy
grace and pardon ! mmen the unbe-
lever: to thy power l commend those
who are weak and frail In the faith
and good works: to thy consolation 1
commend all, both living and dead
oh. my Savior, how adorable art
Thou. Truly II we do not learn how to
die from thy example. I know not what
will become of our departing soul.
Where will we and in that dark night
of death? Thou. Son of the Eternal
Father. hast taught us TO whom TO
have recourse in that frightful
hour. AT the end of our life we will
turn to the Father of all Souls. who
through Jesus most painful death has
become our father a second time. and
with childlike confidence we will ex-
lain: Father. we know not the mys-
teries OF death or eternity; into thy
hands which made us. into thy hands
which brought us into life. into thy
hands which were stretched out to us
mercifully whenever we erred away
from the path OF justice. Father of the
Son who died for us. into those self
same hands into which thy son Jesus
commended his spirit. we also commend
ours. Those hands we hope will place
us in the habitation OF the elect and
the im~perishable glorles of heaven.
Where can our soul be more secure
than in the hands which received the
spirit OF u Redeemer? Our eyes may
get dim: our lips may remain silent
forever. the throbs of agony may shake
our body. our limbs may stiffen them
selves in the coldness of death: our
heart nay .reak and the mortal inhabi-
tation OF our soul may perish: we care
not. for we have learned from our Sa-
vior the art of dying well.
But those words, Father. into thy