The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-26

whose gentle voice assures them, you
nave not chosen Me, but have chosen
| you"
THE SAINTS OF GODS CHURCH
have been sanctified by the labors of
the Christian priesthood during these
IL centuries, and the work begun by the,
apostolic priests whom Christ himself
ordained has been continued by their
successors in the church which was
built on them. Unworthy though we
De, yet we have heard the call of Christ,
and in His priesthood we have been or
dained to go to His people with the
message of the gospel, offering for them
the sacrifice of salvation
Monsignor Conaty then developed the
idea of the priest as a sacrificial man,
oftering daily upon the altar of the
Christian church the sacrifice instituted
by Christ. He is a sacramental man,
dispensing among the people the fruits
of redemption through the sacraments
instituted by Christ; he is an evangel-
ical man, the teacher of the truth of
God to the minds and hearts of men.
The priest is called to be man of God,
devoted to prayer, to piety, to study.
He is by nature q man of sacrifices, a
lover of Gods people. He is a man of
the people, father, friend a guide,
a defender. 1t is his duty to commend
good, to denounce evil to lead the
people into virtue, to keep them from
vice, to guard them from danger, to
train them in the ways that lead to
goodness.
Fearless in the advocacy of truth,
fearless in the denunciation of error,
unfiinching in danger, kind and consid-
crate to the individual, the good Sa-
marian, the good savior, the loving
pastor, the gentle friend. Who can es-
Innate the work done by the Christian
priesthood in the history of the world?
To preach the gospel to pagan Greece
and Rome and Jewish Palestine: to
convert Constantine and his empire;
Clovis and his Franks; to eVangelize
the barbarian, to make Europe Chris
tian, to preserve letters and science,
and to civilize the world. The saints
of old, who taught men morality, es-
tablished Christianity and ruled the
Christian church were priests. AThey
built the church of God into every ma
ton; they brought the church to you
and to me.
The priest of today who offers the
Christian sacrifice at the altar of this
church for the first time, is successor
to that same priesthood. To him comes,
as to those of US who welcome him to
the priesthood, the same responsible
ties.
Monsignor Conaty then spoke upon
the special mission of the priesthood In
this country, and upon the multitudes
who depend upon the priesthood for
the fruits Of redemption. He spoke also
OF the great demand there is today for
truth among those who are not of the
fold of the one church, but who are
eagerly seeking for the light. He said:
There is but one truth as there is but
one God, there is but one salvation as
there is but one Savior, there can be
but one church, since Christ ordained
that the church to which he confided
his mission was built upon the apos-
ties, to whom he gave authority, his
saeraments and his sacrifice This
| church alone can answer the demands
| of the human mind and heart, for it
alone is commissioned to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ and the gospel
| of Jesus Christ is the only answer in
| religious truth to the demands of in
tellect and heart. 1t alone has the de-
post of faith, and faith alone can sat
isfy the
INTELLIGENT CRAVINGS OF HUI
MANITY.
In the world today the battle for re-
| ligion is against Indifference and inf
| deity. 1t is a battle for positive moral
! ity,--in a word for the supernatural. 1t
is law against license, it is obedience
| agains- revolt, it is purity against lust
1t is faith against unbelief Never was
there a time when the whole scheme
| Of religious belief was more IN danger
from the prejudices of men against re-
vealed religion. The hostility arises
largely from misconception and misin-
| formation concerning religion, from a
lack of understanding of the true har-
mony that exists between religion and
| science. Men fail to see the necessity
! of revealed religion, the necessity Of
| Christ and the church, the necessity of
a teacher commissioned by God and en-
iightened by him to bear to men the
truth of salvation To whom will we
| turn If it be not to the one who holds
the commission from Christ to teach all
nations, and that one is none other
| than the Church of Jesus Christ, whose
| agents are the priests of God?
| Upon the priesthood falls the respon-
| sibility to answer the demands of HUI
manity, and hence the effort of the
church to develop, not only the piety
which is the foundation of true life. but
also the scholarship which meets the
| questions of human intelligence This
| is the reason why the priest passes
| through the years of preparation in the
| school and seminary and university.
that he may be the priest of God, whose
| lips shall keep knowledge and whose
| mouth Sudll speak the law, for he is
the angel Of the Lord of hosts.
Sent forth as missionary of the word
I of God to offer sacrifice and forgive sin.
the priest is not to be despised because
| of his youth, nor is his work to be de-
/ preciated because he comes from the
people. His dignity is Gods gift to
him. his glory is to be found IN fidelity
| to Christ and Christs children His the
| privilege TO instruct in the ways of sal
walton, his the duty to give example
/ in his own personal life. priest of
| God he is a citizen of the republic;
| loyal to his church and its mission, he
| must be loyal to his country and its
| destiny. A leader of the people, he is
| called to lead them to strong moral
| lives az the formation of good Chris
| tians and good citizens. He takes his
| doctrine not from the changing opin-
| ions of men nor in obedience TO the
whims and capriees of parties, but
from the church to which has been con-
| fided the deposit of faith; for to it !
| Christ has promised his presence for
| ever. Such a mission is worthy of the
noblest exertions,
| THE GREATEST SACRIFICES.
| Our congratulations then go out to-
day in the abundance of our hearts to
our young priest, that all the ambi-
| tions of his seminary life may be real
! lied in his priestly career, that he may
1 be to the church an ornament and a
pride, that he may be to us all in his
/ priestly life an example of devotion to