The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-04-20

THE IRISH STA
an accident, struck down when death
was least expected; look in at the door
of that desolate home, where the hard
working, breadwinner has just been
brought in dead to darllen the remain
ing days of his wife and his little ones
look at these things, and dare you.
aye, dare you any longer preach your
dismal doctrine that the dead die new
er to live again? All. give me that
creed which strengthens my arm to
lift up my fcllowman; give mo that
doctrine which inspires the heart With
thoughts of kindness. and brings kind
words to the lips; give me that doc
trinc of life which cnnobles suffering
and throws its protecting shield over
the weak and the helpless; give me
that consollng doctrine which assures
me that, beyond the mysterious portals
of the tomb, shall see those whom |
loved here on earth, that 1 shall touch
the vanished hand, hear the voice now
stilled of those whose love and
thoughts of me were rudely sundered
by death.
We are journeying on, and the
world is growing older. But, the same
image of life is still the true image.
Our years on earth are but Il journey
homewards. We are not children of
time but pilgrims Of eternity. Our
faces are turned towards the land of
promise. towards that city of Cod of
which great things are said, towards
that paradise, our home, whose de-
lights no mortal tongue can utter. And
now, as when Moses led his people in
the desert, we have promise, the ver
dict of human reason, the yearning of
the human heart. But. now as then,
men will not hearken to that promise;
they grow disheartened in the wilder
ness, and they murmur TO all who
mrrmur, TO all who doubt, to all who
fear the resurrection of Christ is an
sWcr rcaSSuring. 1t is as the return
of Josue and Caleb and the sight of
the fruits which they brought.
But, to you, my Catholic friends.
do not speak of the future life as one
who would convince but, rather as
one who would remind you of the rich
ness of your Inheritance. Day after
day we rccitc our creed protesting our
firm belief in God the Father, who ere
atcd us. in God the Son, who re-
deemed us, in God the Holy Ghost.
who snnctiiics us. On this Easter day,
| propose to you Il new creed, new i'll
deed in form, yet old in fact, for it is
implied in all your prayers, tacit!y
affirmed in all Your acts of devotion
And it is this: I believe in the immor-
tality of my own soul; | believe that
i'll me there is an image of Gods own
Eternity. spark Of Divine fire, which
no death or decay of the body can
cXtinguish. believe that life on this
earth is but a trial. that beyond the
barren desert through which l now
travel. lies the land of promise, where
a better life begins; l believe that |
may be happy here on earth, on con-
diton that do nothing to forfeit my
right to a heaven hereafter: | believe
this, because Christ my Redeemer, has
arisen, and shown that that other life
is reality. On this belief l build my
most cherished hopes and found all
my expectations. 1t is the light of
my life here below; it is the fortress of
my soul. strong as that fort by the
pillars of Hercules. proof against I'LL
the assaults of a creed that would
deny or throw doubt on future OK.
istence.
The consciousness that God exists
and the belief that there is life be.
You'd the grave, are the wings by which
the soul mounts upwards When night
fell dews weighed down those wings
and numbcd them, but in the light and
warmth of the Easter sun the Chris
tian soul awallcs. and shaking Off the
pearls of cold, rises in thought and
love to the God who made her fol
Himself, to the God without whom
she cannot find rest.