The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-16
SYMB0LISM
What 1t Stands For
In the Church.
A FINE LECTURE
By Rev. j. A. McCallen In
st. Johns Hall.

| Rt. Rev. Mgr. Thomas Griffin con-
ceived a magnificent idea when he
brought ST. Johns Catholic Church
choir in to assist at the lecture in the
school hall on Winter street, last eve
ming.
| The lecture was the second in the
series for the benefit of the convent
building fund.- 1t was on Symbolism
in Catholic worship" and was given
by Rev. James A. McCallen, S. s., of
st. Patriek's Church. Montreal FIR.
| McCalien is speaker of great power
and delivered an address remarkable
for its logic and eloquence. He treat
ed the subject in a manner which not
only gave information but impressed
itself on his auditors. The church
choir assisted. M. W. Handlin sang a
solo finely, and a trio, consisting of
Miss Anna Hickey, NJ. w. Handlin and
John F. Mccartney, was applauded to
the echo. FIR. McCallen said in part:
The object of the present lecture is
to examine the holy rites touching SYM
bols and beautiful ceremonies of which
the Catholic church makes use in the
worship of God, and to prove that in
stead of being meant to merely please
the eye, these symbols, rites and GER
emonies serve to give to God the most
complete act of worship that can be
offered to him and to lift the hearts
and minds of the faithful to things
heavenly.
The Catholic church is the dwelling
place of the Most High, hence our de-
sire to make it rich and beautiful. We
have on our affairs the. sacrifice that
was offered on Calvary. The worship
that we Catholics give to God is the
most complete that can be given to
a deity to man. God has right to
the tribute Of body a.; well as soul, for
he created both--of soul by the sub
mission of our intelligence to his in
fallible teachings, through our mem
ory by recalling innumerable mercies
to us; of our Imagination by drawing
pictures of his ineffable attributes; OF
our will by submission to his holy law
and through our body giving expression
to all these internal sentiments by
raising the eyes and moving the lips
in prayer.
To make use of external symbols I'M
less as expressions of the inner senti-
ments, would be in relation to our fell
low-men, hypocrisy; in our relations to
God, crime.
What authority has the church for
the use of holy rites touching sym
bols and beautiful ceremonies? First
instinct. In our relations with our
fellow-man we must necessarily ex-
press externally what we wish and
feel. Hence the warm clasp of the
hand in friendship is the salutation OF
respect to those we meet. In our rela-
tons with God the instinct is no less
pronounced. The humble publican
standing at the door of the temple and
striking his breast, felt sorrow for his
sins and expressed this sorrow exter-
nally by striking his breast The mo-
i Their kneeling at the bed of her dying
child, and with uplifted eyes and tear
stained cheek begging God to spare
its little life, did not learn to act this
way. but simply follows an instinct of
nature of which God himself is the
author.
In the old law God by direct ex-
| pressed and detailed commands, pre-
| scribed rites, ceremonies and symbols
| to be used in the worship of the deity.
| Read the last ten chapters of the Exc
dus; read the book of Numbers, Levitt
icus and many chapters of the third
book of Kings and yoG Will be surprised
at the details prescribed by God him
I self. And as for statues, paintings
and holy objects of piety have you not
read of the rod Of Moses, the mantle
of Elias, the braZen serpent, striking
symbol of the cross OF Christ? The old
law and its sacrifices were indeed alb
rogated but the worship of God was
not. Hence we find the divine infant
receiving the symbolic offerings Of the
wise men at the crib. We fnd the Sa-
vior being baptized in the waters of the
Jordan mixing spittle and clay for the
cure of the blind man, touching the
dead man to restore him to life and
many other things. What were the
divine masters parallels but figures
and symbols expressing eXteriorly his
hidden thought.
AT the entrance of the church we find
the holy water font. Water was ever
i symbol of cleansing. It warns those
who entered they should be clean of
heart. The sprinkling on the fore
head denotes submission of the intel
| lect and on the breast q mark of
| love. We pass down tine aisle to the
altar. This is the centre of Catholic
| worship. Here the sacrifice of the cross
is renewed and perpetuated. High
above this the crucltiX the image of
Christ crucified.
We adore neither the cross nor the
image of the crucified but we do re-
spect and reverence them for his sake
and for the mysteries they represent.
We do not adore his image but we adj
ore him. Taners are lighted not to fur
nish light, but as types of Christ.
CHRIST is the light of the world and
the tapers remind us that his gospel
has dispelled the darkness of the world.
| They are symbols of Joy. If the presi-
dent Of the United States came to Wis
it you and sat down OF table every
light would be brilliant in his honor
Statues and paintings are a powerful
aid in the worship Of God. They rep
| resent those holy ones VINO in different
ages have served God faithfully. Take
the fourteen stations of the cross, for
instance. How much love and graft
tude, how deep a contrition for our
sins, how great spirit of Christian
modification do they excite within our
souls
4 The calumnious charge that Catho-
lies adore statues and paintings, be-
lleVe they have some inherent virtue,
can see and hear and help us. have
been refuted as often as made. The
world, cold and unfeeling as it is, does
not forget it's heroes. The statue of
Washington looks down on many q
city in the United States, and his pic
ture adorns many a home. 1t is right
to honor the statue of Washington, to
press the Fps to the photographs of de-
parted friends, to uncover the head
when the statue of some patriot is
unveiled. and 1t is right to pay exter-
nal mark of reverence to statues,
medals and paintings which recall the
Uuwu1 uyEau.unuxxu,yuu